 
Seâdet-i Ebediyye Endless Bliss Third Fascicle

**Written by** Hüseyn Hilmi Işık **  
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Published by Hakîkat Kitâbevi at Smashwords

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**Copyright © 2011 by Hakîkat Kitâbevi

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CONTENTS

Endless Bliss

Preface

Endless Bliss Third Fascicle

1 — Second Volume, 67th Letter

2 — Third Volume, 38th Letter

3 — Third Volume, 101st Letter

4 — Second Volume, 19th Letter

5 — Second Volume, 89th Letter

6 — Third Volume, 31st Letter

7 — Third Volume, 57th Letter

8 — Second Volume, 60th Letter

9 — Third Volume, 36th Letter

10 — First (4th) Volume, 14th Letter By Qayyûm-i Rabbânî Muhammad Ma'thûm Fârûqî

11 — First Volume, 303rd Letter

12 — Importance Of Namâz

13 — First Volume, 312th Letter

14 — Second Volume, 20th Letter

15 — Second Volume, 87th Letter

16 — Second Volume, 69th Letter

17 — Second Volume, 9th Letter

18 — Third Volume, 47th Letter

19 — Third Volume, 13th Letter

20 — Third Volume, 54th Letter

21 — Third Volume, 59th Letter

22 — Third Volume, 7th Letter

23 — Second Volume, 29th Letter

24 — Second Volume, 32nd Letter

25 — Second Volume, 75th Letter

26 — Third Volume, 27th Letter

27 — Second Volume, 53rd Letter

28 — Second Volume, 96th Letter

29 — Fifth Volume, 36th Letter

30 — Second Volume, 99th Letter

31 — Information About Genies

32 — A Letter About The Presence Of Souls

33 — Second Volume, 28th Letter

34 — First Volume, 261st Letter

35 — Tawakkul

36 — Lawh-Il-Mahfûz And Umm-Ul-Kitâb

37 — Irâda-I Juz'iyya

38 — An Elderly Muslim's Advice To His Daughter And His Prayer

39 — What Is A True Muslim Like

40 — Qadâ And Qadar

41 — Second Volume, 33rd Letter

42 — Second Volume, 38th Letter

43 — Second Volume, 62nd Letter

44 — Second Volume, 25th Letter

45 — Mu'jiza, Karâmat, Firâsat And Sihr

46 — Third Volume, 86th Letter

47 — Second Volume, 92nd Letter

48 — Second Volume, 8th Letter

49 — Second Volume, 13th Letter

50 — Third Volume, 62nd Letter

51 — Third Volume, 98th Letter

52 — Second Volume, 34th Letter

53 — Third Volume, 44th Letter

54 — Third Volume, 39th Letter

55 — Third Volume, 50th Letter

56 — Second Volume, 59th Letter

57 — 61st Letter

58 — 85th Letter

59 — Third Volume, 41st Letter

60 — Sacred Nights

DİPNOTLAR
Bismi'llâhi'r-Rahmâni'r-Rahîm

There are very many books teaching Islam. The book **Maktûbât** , written by Imâm Rabbânî and consisting of three volumes, is the most valuable. Next after that book is another book with the same title, **Maktûbât** , and consisting of three volumes, yet written by Muhammad Ma'thûm (Imâm Rabbânî's third son and one of his most notable disciples). Hadrat Muhammad Ma'thûm states as follows in the sixteenth letter of the third volume of his Maktûbât: "Imân means to believe both of the facts stated in the (special expression of belief called) Kalima-i-tawhîd, which reads: Lâ ilâha il-l-Allah, Muhammadun Rasûlullah." In other words, being a Muslim requires also belief in the fact that Muhammad 'alaihis-salâm' is the Prophet. Allâhu ta'âlâ sent him the Qur'ân al-kerîm through the angel named Jebrâ'îl (Gabriel). This book, the **Qur'ân al-kerîm** , is the Word of Allah. It is not a compilation of Hadrat Muhammad's 'alaihis-salâm' personal views or of statements made by philosophers or historians. Muhammad 'alaihis-salâm' made a tafsîr of the Qur'ân al-kerîm. In other words, he expounded it. His expoundings are called **hadîth-i-sherîf** s. Islam consists of the **Qur'ân al-kerîm** and **hadîth-i-sherîf** s. The millions of Islamic books worldover are the expoundings of the **Qur'ân al-kerîm** and **hadîth-i-sherîf** s. A statement not coming from the Qur'ân al-kerîm cannot be Islamic. The meaning of Îmân and Islam is to believe the **Qur'ân al-kerîm** and **hadîth-i-sherîf** s. A person who denies the facts stated in the Qur'ân al-kerîm has not had belief in the Word of Allah. Muhammad 'alaihis-salâm' conveyed to his Sahâba the facts which Allâhu ta'âlâ had stated to him. And the Sahâba, in their turn, conveyed those facts to their disciples, who in their turn wrote them in their books. People who wrote those books are called **scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat**. Belief in those books of Ahl as-Sunnat, therefore, means belief in the Word of Allah, and a person who holds that belief is a Muslim. Al-hamd-u-lillah, we are learning our faith, (Islam,) from books written by the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat, and not from fallacious books fabricated by reformers and freemasons.

Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' stated: **"When fitna and fesâd become rife among my Ummat** (Muslims), **a person who adheres to my Sunnat will attain thawâb** (blessings, rewards in the Hereafter) **equal to the total sum of the thawâb that will be given to a hundred people who have attained martyrdom."** Adherence to the Sunnat is possible only by learning the books of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat. The scholars affiliated in any one of the four Madhhabs of Muslims are **scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat**. Imâm a'zam Abû Hanîfa Nu'mân bin Thâbit was the leader of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat. The anti-Islamic campaigns which the British had been carrying on for centuries for the purpose of Christianizing at least one Muslim ended in outright failure. In their search for new methods to achieve their goal, they established the masonic lodges. Masons deny Hadrat Muhammad's 'alaihis-salâm' words as well as all heavenly religions, and such basic religious facts as Rising after death, and existence of Paradise and Hell.
Se'âdet-i Ebediyye

Endless Bliss

THIRD FASCICLE
PREFACE

Saying the Basmala, I begin writing the third fascicle of Endless Bliss. For, it will be easy to finish the good deeds begun with the Basmala. Such deeds will be useful.

I pay my infinite hamd and gratitude to the Supreme Being, Allah, Who has honoured us by creating us as human beings among His millions of various living and lifeless creatures, and Who has made us valuable by giving us the belief that Hadrat Muhammad 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam', His most beloved one, the highest of mankind, is Allah's Prophet. To be honoured with being human means to have a human figure. For, no other creature has this beautiful figure. Every child that is normal is beautiful. Wisdom is the great blessing that provides this beauty against contamination later and which makes this beauty valuable. People who have attained the blessing of wisdom are honourable, valuable and happy people. Wisdom is the power distinguishing good from bad, and useful from harmful. Each person has a different amount of this power. A person who has much wisdom is called wise. Wisdom should not be confused with intellect. An intelligent person makes tools. In order to obtain his needs and lustful desires or to take vengeance, he searches for ways and means, and finds them, too. He even conceives new ones resembling them. He uses them. He does not think whether they will be useful or harmful. He cannot see beyond his nose. It is wisdom that reasons and sees these. Intellect, to an extent, exists in some animals, too. Very few people have precise, unerring wisdom. Intellect observes the activities in nature, finds out the relations, the laws among them, and establishes mathematical formulas. But it is wisdom that applies them usefully. Intellect explores bombs, laser beams, unimaginably fearful poisons, but it is wisdom that will apply them well and usefully.

Intellect explores many things in power, motion and energy, realizes that every motion is made by some power, observes such powers and sees the order in the activities of nature, but still does not think of the existence of a source of power that makes the innumerously various motions and activities, which could not be solved by the intellect or even comprehended by wisdom. The intellect sees and observes men's and animals' voluntary and involuntary actions, yet still it does not reason the existence of a Supreme Owner of Power and Will that makes the regular, voluntary, infinite movements which it sees on earth, in seas and in the universe. It even denies this fact. A wise person realizes and believes in the existence of such a maker. And a person with a little wisdom surmises in the least. Upon learning the lives and words of prophets, his surmise becomes positive knowledge and îmân.

A wise man who has learned science and studied history realizes well that right, good, usefulness and endless bliss are only in the commandments and prohibitions, that is, in the sharî'ats, declared by Allâhu ta'âlâ. Today we see various religions, sharî'ats on the earth. Some of them have been declared by Allâhu ta'âlâ. But others have mostly been concocted by the cruel, by egoists and hypocrites in imitating the heavenly dîns. They are not dîn, they are irreligiousness. As it is shown by the history of religions, most of the heavenly dîns have been forgotten, changed and defiled in the process of time. Another fact shown clearly by the history of religions is that there is only one heavenly dîn left unchanged, undefiled on the earth today. This unchanged true dîn is the Islamic dîn, Islam, brought from Allah by Hadrat Muhammad 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam', the lastProphet.

For thirteen hundred years, the enemies of Islam, dictators and those ignorant, evil people who sold themselves to the former have striven to change the Islamic dîn also and to demolish it from within and have done a lot of harm to Muslims, yet their lies and slanders have not caught on and have been forgotten. For, Allâhu ta'âlâ has promised that He would protect the Islamic dîn until the end of the world. Recently, the Shî'îs, Wahhabîs, followers of Maudoodî, Qâdiyânîs, novices of Sayyed Qutb have been racing to defile the Islamic dîn, but the promise given by Allâhu ta'âlâ will work, and all these heretical mischief-makers will be routed and destroyed. Allâhu ta'âlâ will protect until the end of the world those real Muslims who are called Ahl as-Sunnat wa'l-Jamâ'at or, in short, Sunnî.

To attain the honour of the true dîn of Islam, it is necessary for a wise man to read and understand the books of the Ahl as-sunnat savants. After attaining this honour, it is necessary for him also to live compatibly with what he has learned. And living compatibly with the Sharî'at, in its turn, is again possible through wisdom. Following the Sharî'at in every action requires consulting wisdom. Working and struggling in the world is like traveling in a dark night. Also, struggling to attain comfort and ease in the world and endless blessings in the Hereafter, that is, obeying the Sharî'at, is like a true path that must be followed in the dark. Going along this true path at night without deviating into harmful ways requires having a light, a lantern. Man's wisdom is like this lantern. He who has little wisdom, that is, an idiot, though he might have attained the honour of being Muslim, will go wrong in following the Sharî'at, thus being drifted into perdition. Being caught by the traps of ignorant and stupid enemies of the dîn and lâmadhhabî heretical men of dîn, he will destroy his life in this world and in the Hereafter.

Hamd and gratitude be to Allâhu ta'âlâ, Who has blessed me with the lot of publishing the third fascicle of Endless Bliss, which is one of the books I have prepared so that those who have been gifted with the honour of being human will be valuable and in order to provide them with attaining comfort and ease in the world and endless blessings after death! It being an important task and worship for those who have had the value of being Muslims to do favours and services to every creature, I have attempted to do this work. I send my prayers to Allâhu ta'âlâ so that He will bless my service and my readers.

Mîlâdî - Hijrî Shamsî - Hijrî Qamarî  
2000 - 1378 - 1420
ENDLESS BLISS  
THIRD FASCICLE

1 - SECOND VOLUME, 67th LETTER

This letter, written to Khân-i Khânân-i jihân, explains the belief of the Ahl as-sunnat, the five principles of Islam and tawba for one's sins:

I begin my letter with the Basmala. [That is, I begin writing this letter in the blessed name of Allâhu ta'âlâ, Who pities all human beings by creating and sending them useful things in the world; Who forgives, as a favour in the Hereafter, those Believers who have deserved Hell, and Who creates all creatures, keeps them in existence every moment and protects them against fear and horror.] Salâms be to those good people whom He has selected and loved!

[It is written on the sixth page of the first volume of Ibni Âbidîn, "It is wâjib to say Bismillâh or Allâhu akbar when killing an animal (by cutting its throat), when shooting an arrow at a game animal, when sending a trained hound for the animal to be hunted. It is acceptable as well to say the Basmala completely. There are those who say that it is wâjib to say the Basmala before reciting the Fâtiha at each rak'at. Yet, more correctly, it is sunnat. It is sunnat to say the Basmala when beginning to perform an ablution, to eat, to drink and to do any useful work. It is either permissible or mustahab to say the Basmala between the Fâtiha and the sûra (which is to be recited after the Fâtiha while performing namâz). It is mubâh to say it when beginning to walk, when sitting down or standing up.

"It is makrûh to say the Basmala when opening one's private parts, when entering a place where there is najâsat, when reciting Barâa Sûra immediately after the sûra previous to it, when beginning to smoke a cigarette or to eat something with a strong smell, such as onions or garlics, [and when beginning to shave. The fact that the cigarette is compared to things with a strong smell, such as onions and garlics, shows that tobacco is, like these things, tab'an makrûh, not shar'an makrûh.] It is harâm to say the Basmala when beginning to commit a harâm. In fact, it has been said that he who says the Basmala knowingly when beginning something which is certainly harâm becomes a disbeliever. It is harâm for a (person who is in the state of) junub to recite the Qur'ân with the intention of reciting the Qur'ân.

"It is wâjib to say hamd in namâz, and it is sunnat to say it in a khutba or before each du'â (prayer) or after eating and drinking. It is mubâh to say it whenever you remember it. It is makrûh to say it at dirty places, and it is harâm to say it after eating or drinking something which is harâm; it may even cause disbelief."]

We have received your valuable letter, which you so kindly sent to us. Hamd and gratitude be to Allâhu ta'âlâ, because at such a time as this when doubts have been on the increase, you fortunate people, though you need nothing and though there is no occasion, have been taking notice of these faqîrs and thinking of us, who have been left, forgotten in the nook, thus showing that you have belief in this way, which befits your pure ancestry. It is such a great blessing that your various occupations and relations do not prevent you from this great fortune, nor do the confusing things you have to do hinder this love of yours. You should fulfil the thanks for this great blessing, and you should be hopeful, since it is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf, "In the Hereafter everybody will be with the person whom he loves in the world!"

O you valuable and fortunate man! Among the seventy-three groups, only (those people who are in) the Madhhab of Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-Jamâ'at will be saved from Hell. Each Muslim has to learn the belief of Ahl as-sunnat and correct his îmân accordingly. The majority of the Muslims who have spread over the world for centuries have been in the Ahl as-sunnat Madhhab. Millions of books written by hundreds of thousands of Ahl as-sunnat savants who have come by have spread and promulgated Islam all over the world. He who wants to be saved from Hell has to find these correct books and correct his îmân by reading them. It is a heart-killing poison to set the heart on those evil, corrupt creeds and beliefs disagreeing with the belief written in the books of the Ahl as-sunnat savants. It takes one to endless death, to eternal torment. If there is slackness in deeds and worships, it may be forgiven. But being slack in belief will never be forgiven. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares: "I shall never forgive shirk, that is, disbelief. I shall forgive all the other sins of those people whom I like."

I shall explain the creed of the Ahl as-sunnat briefly and concisely. You must correct your belief accordingly. You must implore and beg Allâhu ta'âlâ to keep you fast to this creed.

Know that Allâhu ta'âlâ exists with His Eternal Person. He has created, made existent and let come out of non-existence everything other than He. He existed endlessly. He is eternal in the past. That is, He always existed. There cannot be nonexistence before His existence. Everything other than He was nonexistent. He created all afterwards. He who is eternal in the past will also be eternal in the future, everlastingly. He who is of recent occurrence and created will be transient; that is, he will cease to exist. Allâhu ta'âlâ is one. That is, only His existence is necessary. Only He, again, is worth being worshipped. Existence of all things other than He is unnecessary. It makes no difference whether or not they exist. Nothing other than He is worth being worshipped.

Allâhu ta'âlâ has perfect attributes. These attributes of His are Hayât, 'Ilm, Sam', Basar, Qudrat, Irâda, Kalâm, and Takwîn. These attributes of His also are eternal, everlasting. Their existence is with Allâhu ta'âlâ Himself. Creation of creatures and changes that have occurred in them do not harm the fact that the attributes are eternal. The recent occurrence of those things which the attributes have connections with does not prevent the attributes from being eternal. Philosophers, depending on mind only and their minds being deficient, and the Mu'tazila group of Muslims, not seeing the fact well, only dismissed the matter by saying that since creatures were of recent occurrence, the attributes which created and handled them were of recent occurrence, too. Thus, they disbelieved the eternal Sifât-i kâmila. They said, "The attribute 'knowledge' does not penetrate into tiny motes. That is, Allâhu ta'âlâ does not know of tiny things. For, changes in things will make changes in the attribute 'knowledge'. However, there cannot be change in something eternal." They did not know that the attributes are eternal, but their relations with things are of recent occurrence.

Deficient attributes do not exist in Him. Allâhu ta'âlâ is free, far from the attributes of substances, objects, states, and from the things that are necessary for them. Allâhu ta'âlâ is not with time, with place or with direction. He is not at a place or at any side. He created time, places and directions. An ignorant person thinks that He is up on the Arsh. The Arsh, beings above it and below it are all His creatures. He created all these afterwards. Can something which has been created afterwards ever be a place for One who is eternal and always exists? Only, the Arsh is the most honoured of creatures. It is purer and more lightsome than anything else. Therefore, it is like a mirror. The greatness of Allâhu ta'âlâ is seen there. Hence, it is called **Arshullah**. But with relation to Allahu ta'âlâ the Arsh is like other things. They are all His creatures. Only, the Arsh is like a mirror. Other things do not have this ability. Can a man seen in a mirror be said to be in the mirror? Man's relation to the mirror is like his relation to other things. Man's relation to all is the same. Only, there is a difference between the mirror and other things. The mirror can reflect man's image while other things cannot.

Allâhu ta'âlâ is not a substance, an object or a state. He is not limited; He does not have dimensions. He is not long, short, wide or narrow. We say that He is **Wâsi** , that is, wide. But this wideness is different from what we know and understand. He is **Muhît** ; that is, He surrounds everything. But this surrounding is not like what we understand. He is **Qarîb** ; that is, He is close to us, together with us, but unlike what we understand from it! We believe that He is wâsi, muhît, qarîb, and together with us. But we cannot know what these attributes mean. We say that everything which comes to the mind is wrong. Allâhu ta'âlâ does not unite with anything. Nothing unites with Him. Nothing enters Him. Nor does He enter anything. Allâhu ta'âlâ does not part, break into pieces, nor can He be analyzed or combined. He does not have a likeness or a partner. He does not have a wife or children. He is unlike the things which we know or which we think of. It cannot be understood or imagined how He is. There cannot be a likeness or an example for Him. We know thus far that Allâhu ta'âlâ exists. He has the attributes which He has communicated to us. Yet He is free, far from everything that comes to our mind and imagination about Him and His attributes. Men cannot understand Him. Translation of a Persian couplet:

When asked, "Am I not thine Allah?" those who understood  
Him, said, "He exists," and they said no more.

The names of Allâhu ta'âlâ are Tawqîfî. That is, they are dependent on the dictation of the Owner of the Sharî'at. Names dictated by the Sharî'at should be said. Names that are not dictated by the Sharî'at cannot be said. We should not say it no matter how perfect and beautiful a name it is. He can be called Jawâd. For, the Sharî'at has called Him Jawâd. But He cannot be called Sakhî, which, too, means generous. For the Sharî'at has not called Him Sakhî. [Then, He cannot be called god. Especially when doing an act of worship, such as calling the adhân, it is a grave sin to say god instead of the name Allah.]

The Qur'ân is the word of Allah. It is His speech. Placing His word into Islamic letters, and sounds, He sent it to our Prophet Hadrat Muhammad 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. Through this He informed His slaves with His commands and prohibitions.

We creatures speak with our vocal cords, which are in our throats, with our tongues and palates. We change our desires into letters and sounds to reveal them. And Allâhu ta'âlâ, with His great power, sent His word to His slaves in letters and sounds without the vocal cords, mouth or tongue. He revealed His commands and prohibitions in letters and sounds. Both these kinds of speech (kalâm) belong to Him. That is, His **Kalâm-i nafsî, which is the one before being changed into letters and sounds,** and His Kalâm-i lafzî, which is in letters and sounds, are all His Word. It is correct to call both of them Kalâm. As a matter of fact, both of our nafsî and lafzî words are our speech. It is wrong to say that the nafsî is real and the lafzî is metaphorical, that is, similar to speech. For, metaphorical things may be denied. It is disbelief to deny Allah's Kalâm-i lafzî and to say that it is not Allah's word. Also, all the Books and Suhûf (small books) revealed to previous prophets 'alâ nabiyyinâ wa alaihim-us-salâtu wattaslîmât' are Allah's word. All the contents of those books and the Qur'ân are the **Ahkâm-i ilâhî**. He sent to the people of each age the rules that were suitable for their age and made them responsible for them.

In Paradise Muslims will see Allâhu ta'âlâ without direction, without being opposite Him, without realizing how He is, without being surrounded, i.e., without being in any shape. We believe in seeing Allâhu ta'âlâ in the Hereafter. We do not think of how He will be seen. For, mind cannot understand seeing Him. We have no other choice but to believe. Shame upon philosophers, upon those Muslims called the Mu'tazila, and upon all the groups, except the Ahl as-sunnat, because they were too blind and were deprived of this belief. Attempting to liken something which they did not see or know to those things which they saw, they deprived themselves of the honour of îmân.

As Allâhu ta'âlâ creates men, so He creates men's deeds. All the good and bad things are by His decree and will. Yet He likes good deeds and dislikes bad deeds. Though every deed, good or evil, is by His will and creation, it would be impertinence to name Him only as the creator of one evil thing. We should not say that He is the creator of evil. We should say that He is the Creator of good and evil things. For example, we should say that He is the creator of everything. But we should not say that He is the creator of filth and swine. This is a practice of good manners towards Him. So coarsely think the group of Mu'tazila [and some aberrant people]. They say that man creates his every deed, good or bad. Both mind and the Sharî'at show that this is wrong. Those savants who told the truth, that is, the great ones of the Ahl as-sunnat 'rahmatullâhi alaihim ajma'în' said that man's own power also affects something he does, and they called this effect kasb (acquiring). For, there is certainly a difference between the hand's vibration and its being raised optionally. Man's power and acquiring do not interfere with the vibrations. But they interfere with the optional actions. And this much interference on their part causes questioning and punishment, and man either earns thawâb or becomes sinful. He who disbelieves man's power and option and thinks that men are incapable and compelled has not understood the words of the savants of dîn. These great poeple's saying that man has power and will does not mean that man does what he wishes and does not do what he does not wish to. Being so is very far from being a slave. The words of these great people mean that man can do what he is commanded to do. For example, he can perform namâz five times each day. He can give one-fortieth of his property as zakât. He can fast one month of the twelve months. He who has money enough for the journey and food can perform the hajj once in his lifetime. Likewise, he can do all the rules of the Sharî'at. Allâhu ta'âlâ, being so merciful, with men being so weak and frail, has commanded the lightest and easiest ones of all kinds of worships. He has declared in the Qur'ân, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ wishes facilities for you, not hardships."** And He declares in another âyat, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ wants to command you what is light and easy. Men are created weak and powerless."**

[This is the meaning of the saying, 'There is no oppression, hardship in the dîn.' That is, it means, 'Allâhu ta'âlâ has commanded facility.' However, it does not mean, 'Let everybody do what he likes and not do what comes difficult to his nafs, let him change the worships as he wishes into comfortable, easy ways.' It is disbelief, irreligiousness to make an insignificant alteration in the dîn.]

Prophets are people selected and sent by Allâhu ta'âlâ. They were sent to call their ummats to Allâhu ta'âlâ and pull them out of excessive, wrong ways into the way of salvation. They gave the good news of Paradise to those who accepted their invitation while intimidating with Hell torment those who disbelieved them. All the information which they brought from Allâhu ta'âlâ is right. There is no error in any of it. The last Prophet is Hadrat Muhammad 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. His dîn has transformed, abrogated all others. His book is the best of the heavenly books. His Sharî'at will remain valid until the end of the world. It will not be changed by anybody. Hadrat Isâ (Jesus) will descend from heaven, yet he will follow Hadrat Muhammad's Sharî'at; that is, he will join his Ummat.

[Some people say that a religion will change in the process of time, that laws of the Sharî'at have become obsolencent, old, that a religion is needed to meet the needs of our age. Yes, the religion changes in the course of time. But its owner, Allâhu ta'âlâ, changes it. As a matter of fact, He has changed it many times since Hadrat Adam and finally sent Hadrat Muhammad's Sharî'at as the most perfect, the highest religion which will meet all requirements and needs until the end of the world. Could the poor human beings make a religion which is better than the one which Allâhu ta'âlâ says to be perfect? Yes, a nation's laws will change in the process of time, but only the National Assembly can change them, not any guard or shepherd. It is written in the thirty-ninth chapter of **Majalla** and in its explanation, "The rules will change in the process of time. Rules that are dependent upon customs and traditions will change. Rules that are derived from the Nass (âyats with clear meanings) do not change in the process of time."]

All of what Hadrat Muhammad has informed about the Rising Day is true. It is right and true that there will be torment in the grave, that the grave will squeeze the dead person; that two angels named Munkar and Nakîr will ask questions in the grave; that everything will be annihilated on Doomsday; that the sky will crack; that the stars will get out of their orbits and disperse; that the globe and its mountains will break into pieces; that all people will be resurrected from their graves and will assemble in the place of Mahshar, that is, souls will return to their bodies; that there will be an earthquake, fear, horror on Doomsday; that there will be questioning and accounting on the Resurrection; that hands, feet and limbs will bear witness to what has been done in the world; that record books of good and evil deeds will be revealed, and they will fly towards their owners from their right and left sides; and that good deeds and sins will be weighed on a pair of scales peculiar to the hereafter. There, those whose thawâb weighs heavier will be saved from Hell, and those with little thawâb will suffer loss. The pair of scales there is an unknown one, and its weighing heavier or lighter is opposite to that of worldly scales. The scale which goes up is the heavier one and that which goes down is the lighter. [There is no earthly gravitation there.]

There, first the Prophets and then pious Muslims, that is, the Awliyâ, will, with Allah's permission, intercede for those Believers with many sins. Our Prophet declared: **"Of my Ummat, I will intercede for the ones with grave sins."** There is the Sirât Bridge over Hell. Believers will pass this bridge to go to Paradise. Disbelievers will slip and fall down into Hell.

[When mentioning the Sirât Bridge, we should not suppose that it is like bridges which we know. As a matter of fact, we say that it is necessary to pass the bridge of examination in order to pass the course. Every student will pass the bridge of examination. We call it a bridge because all students have to pass it. However, an examination is in no way similar to a bridge. There are those who can pass the bridge of examination, and there are also those who cannot pass it and fall down. But this is unlike falling down into the sea from a bridge. Only those who have passed the bridge of examination know how it is. Likewise, everybody will have to pass the Sirât Bridge, and others, being unable to pass, will fall down into Hell. But this bridge, passing it or falling down into Hell, is not like worldly bridges or the bridge of examination. It has no aspects resembling them.]

Paradise, which has been prepared for rewards and blessings for Believers, and Hell, which has been prepared for tormenting disbelievers, exist [now]. Allâhu ta'âlâ created both from nothing. They will exist eternally [after everything has been annihilated and created again on the Resurrection] and will never cease to exist. Believers, when they enter Paradise after the questioning and calling to account, will stay there eternally and will never leave Paradise. Likewise, disbelievers, after entering Hell, will remain there eternally and will suffer torment eternally. It is not possible that their torment be diminished. Ibni Taymiyya denies the fact that disbelievers will remain in Hell eternally. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares: **"Their torment will not be diminished, they will never get help."** Those with the tiniest îmân in their heart will perhaps be put into Hell if their sins are many. They will be tormented as much as their sins, yet, at last, they will be taken out of Hell, their faces not being black. Disbelievers' faces will be made black. Believers will not be chained in Hell. Thus, the value of the tiniest îmân in their hearts will be seen. But disbelievers will be handcuffed and chained.

Angels are Allah's dear slaves. It is not possible for them to disobey Allah's commands. They do what they are commanded. They do not get married. They do not bear children or multiply. Allâhu ta'âlâ has chosen some of them as prophets. He has honoured them with the task of carrying wahy. They are those who brought the Books and Suhûf to prophets. [For example, **An'âm Sûra** was brought by Hadrat Jebrâil (Gabriel) together with seventy thousand angels.] They do not make any mistakes, nor do they ever forget. They do not play tricks or deceive. What they bring from Allâhu ta'âlâ is always true. It is never doubtful, nor does it depend upon probabilities. Angels are afraid of Allah's grandeur, wrath and greatness. They have no other work than doing what they are commanded.

' **ÎMÂN'** means to believe the teachings coming from our Prophet, which are written in the books of Ahl as-sunnat savants, and to express one's belief. Worships are not from îmân. But they perfect and beautify îmân. Imâm-i a'zâm Abû Hanîfa 'alaihirrahma' said that îmân does not increase or decrease. For, îmân means the heart's confirmation, admitting and believing. There is not scarcity or abundance in îmân. Belief which has its decrease and increase is not called îmân, but it is called supposition and illusion. Îmân's being much or little means muchness or scarcity in worships. When a person worships much, he is said to have much perfection in his îmân. Then, the îmâns of all Believers are unlike the îmâns of prophets. For, prophets' îmân has reached the summit of perfection on account of worships. The îmân of other Believers cannot reach there. But both have the common quality of being îmân. The former has become different through worships. It is as if there were no resemblance between them. All Believers and prophets share the property of being human. But other values, superiorities have made prophets reach high grades. Their humanity has become sort of different. In a way, they are higher human beings than the common humanity. Perhaps, they only are human beings. Others, as it were, are not human beings.

Imâm-i A'zam Abû Hanîfa 'alaihirrahma' said that one should say, "I am certainly a Believer." And Imâm-i Shâfi'î 'alaihirrahma' said that one should say, "I am, inshâallah, a Believer." Both are true. When one expresses one's present îmân one should say, "I am certainly a Believer." When expressing one's îmân at one's last breath, one will say, "I am, inshâallah, a Believer." However, in this case, here, too, it is better to say, 'certainly' than saying it with some doubt.

A Believer's îmân does not go away no matter how grave a sin he commits. He does not become a disbeliever. I have heard that one day Imâm-i a'zam and the great savants of Baghdad were sitting somewhere, when somebody came up and said, "If a Believer kills his father unjustly, breaks open his head, drinks wine from his skull and then, getting drunk, commits fornication with his mother, will his îmân go away?" All the savants who heard this became angry with that Believer. "It is unnecessary even to ask this," they said. Imâm-i a'zam said, "That person is still a Believer. His îmân does not go away by his committing sins." The savants disliked this answer and castigated Imâm-i a'zam. But when the Imâm proved his word true, they all admitted it. If a Believer with a lot of sins repents before his last breath comes up to his throat, he will most likely be saved. For Allâhu ta'âlâ promised that He would accept the tawba (repentance). If he has not attained the honour of tawba, his state is up to Allah only. If He wishes, He will forgive all his sins and put him into Paradise, or He will torment him with the Hell-fire or through troubles as much as his sins. But at last he will be saved and enter Paradise again. For, it is only disbelievers who will not attain Allah's mercy in the next world. He who has the tiniest îmân will attain His compassion. If he cannot attain His compassion because of his sins, he will at last attain it through Allah's blessing and favour. O Allah! After giving us guidance to the right way and showing us the right way, protect us so that our hearts will not deviate onto the renegades' side! Have mercy upon us! Pity us poor creatures! Thou, alone, can protect us against the darkness of disbelief and apostasy!

According to savants of the Ahl as-sunnat - may Allâhu ta'âlâ reward them abundantly for their hard work - it is not a piece of basic Islamic knowledge to talk about the caliphate. That is, it is not something based upon îmân. However, because Shiites were excessive in this respect [and a few ignorant people who disguised themselves as hodjas named themselves Alawîs and poisoned Muslims with their slanderous words, books and magazines], savants of true Muslims have included the information about the caliphate into the knowledge of Kalâm, that is, into the information of îmân, and communicated the truth of the matter. After the last Prophet Muhammad Mustafâ, the Khalîfa of Muslims, that is, our Prophet's representative and the Muslims' leader is Hadrat Abû Bakr-i Siddîq. After him comes Hadrat 'Umar ul Fârûq. Next comes Hadrat 'Uthmân-i Zinnûrein, and then Alî bin Abî Tâlib. The order of superiority among these four is analogous to the order of their caliphates. All the Sahâba and the Tâbi'ûn said that of these the Shaikhayn [the first two] were higher than the other two. This unanimity has been communicated by our îmâms of dîn. For example, Imâm-i Shâfi'î's saying is well known. Abul-Hasan-i Ash'arî, one of the leaders of the Ahl as-sunnat, said, "It is certain that the Shaikhayn are higher than all the Ummat. He who disbelieves this fact is either ignorant or stubborn." Imâm-i Alî said, "He who holds me superior to Abû Bakr and 'Umar is a slanderer. As slanderers are to be beaten, I will beat him." Hadrat Abdulqâdir-i Geilânî reported in his book **Gunya-tut-tâlibîn:** Our Prophet said, **"I asked of Allâhu ta'âlâ that Alî become the Khalîfa after me. Angels said: ''O Muhammad! It will happen as Allâhu ta'âlâ wills. Abû Bakr-i Siddîq is the Khalîfa after you."** Abdulqâdîr-i Geilânî reported again: Hadrat Alî said that the Prophet said to him, **"After me Abû Bakr will become the Khalîfa. Then 'Umar, then 'Uthmân and then you will become the Khalîfa."**

Imâm-i Hasan 'radiy-Allâhu anh' is higher than Imâm-i Husayn. (These two people are Hadrat Alî's sons.) The savants of Ahl as-sunnat have declared that in knowledge and ijtihâd Hadrat Âisha (the Prophet's blessed wife, our mother) is superior to Hadrat Fâtima (the Prophet's blessed daughter, and Hadrat Alî's blessed wife). Hadrat Abdulqâdir-i Geilânî wrote in his book **Gunya,** "Hadrat Aisha is higher." To this faqîr (Imâm-i Rabbânî means himself), in knowledge and ijtihâd Hadrat Âisha is higher, but in zuhd and in withdrawing from the world Hadrat Fâtima is higher. It is for this reason that Hadrat Fâtima was called Betûl (very pure). As for Hadrat Âisha, she used to teach the Sharî'at to the Sahâba. The Sahâba used to learn the Sharî'at by asking her.

The combats among the Sahâba, e.g., the event of Camel and the event of Siffîn, were done with good intentions and for pious reasons, not for the desires of the nafs, with obstinacy or hostility. For, they all were great. Their hearts had been purified in the sohbat (company) of our Master, the Prophet, and with his blessed looks, no evils such as avarice, grudge or hostility have been left. Both their peace and their opposition or combats were for the truth. Each of them acted in accordance with his own ijtihâd. They differed from those who did not agree with their ijtihâd, but without bearing obstinacy or hostility against them. There are two or ten thawâbs for those with correct ijtihâd, and one thawâb for those who erred. Then, we should not speak ill of those who erred as we do not speak ill of those who were right. For, these, too, received thawâb. The savants of Ahl as-sunnat declare that the Amîr (Hadrat Alî) was right in these combats. Those ijtihâds which disagreed with his were wrong. But none of them can be spoken ill of, nonetheless for calling any one of them a 'disbeliever' or 'sinner'. Hadrat Alî declared in these combats, "Our brethren have parted from us. They are not disbelievers, nor sinners. For, they have been acting in accordance with their ijtihâd." Our Prophet'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' declared: **"Avoid speaking ill of my Sahâba!"** Then, we have to deem all the Sahâba of the Prophet as great and speak about them with reverence and good will. We should not think ill of any of these great people! We should consider the combats among them to be better than others' peace. This is the way to salvation. For, loving the Sahâba arises from loving our Master, the Prophet. Enmity against them means enmity against him. The great savant Abû Bakr-i Shiblî said, "A person who does not respect the Sahâba does not have îmân in Muhammad 'alaihissalâm'."

[Alûsî says in his book **Ghâliyya,** "Allâhu ta'âlâ praises the Sahâba in the Qur'ân. He declares that He loves those who migrated first, the Ansâr, and those who follow them in goodness. Allâhu ta'âlâ likes only that slave of His whom He knows will die in îmân. It is impossible for Him to have declared that He loved a certain slave of His even though He knew that he would die as a disbeliever. Therefore, âyats which praise the Sahâba refute those who say that they were unjust and that they became renegades after Rasûlullah's death, thus informing that such people who say so are malevolent. There are many hadîths praising all the Sahâba. One of the well-known ones of these is the hadîth, **'My Sahâba are like the stars. If you follow any one of them, you will attain guidance to the right way!'** which is communicated by Dârimî and Ibni Adî." The book **Uns-ut-tâibîn** by Ahmad Nâmiqî Jâmî 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh' is in Persian. In its forty-fourth page of the Tehran edition printed during the time of Shah Ridâ, the names of four Khalîfas are written, and these Khalîfas and all of the Ashâb-i kirâm are praised well, and we are advised to love them all. Those heretics who cannot realize the value, the greatness of the Sahâba and who slander these great people and compare them to themselves, are called **Râfidîs.** Râfidîs are the worst of the seventy-two groups of bid'at, which it has been declared will go to Hell. Today Râfidîs name themselves Alawî. Saying that they follow Hadrat Alî, they deceive the innocent younger generations. Spreading the concocted legends fibbed in a certain book, which they printed in Istanbul in 1958 A.D. and entitled **Hüsniye,** among ignorant and mostly female villagers, they slander the great people of Islam. It is written in the book **Tuhfa** that this book, which teems with lies and very loathsome slanders, was concocted by a Jew named Murtezâ. It is written in the book **Esmâ-ul-muellifîn** that this book, (Hüsniye), was translated into Persian by a Hurûfî named Ibrâhîm Esterabâdî, who died in 958 [A.D. 1551]. It has fallen to my lot to refute those heretical writings, abominable slanders with documents, thus disgracing them in **Eshâb-ı kirâm** (in Turkish) and in the chapter captioned **Tezkiya-i-Ahl-i-Bayt** of the book **Hak Sözün Vesîkaları** (Turkish). (The latter was translated into English in 1992, under the title **Documents of the Right Word,** and is available from **Hakîkât Kitâbevi, Dârüşşefeka Cad. No: 57/A P.K. 35, 34262, Fâtih-İstanbul-Türkiye).** The Jewish convert Murtezâ, its author, died in Baghdad in 436 [1044]. And his brother Radi bin Tâhir was born in 359 and died in Baghdad in 406. The book **Manâqib-i-Jihâr Yâr-i-Ghuzîn,** (by Eyyûb bin Siddîq), gives a detailed account of the superior virtues of the **Ashâb-i-kirâm.**

Of all the many characteristics whereby the Shi'a group differ from the Sunnites, what makes the Shiites worst is the fact that they bear the creed of Hurûfî. Those who are excessive in the creed of Râfidî become disbelievers. Râfidîs were few and were about to perish, when Shâh Ismâ'îl, one of them, established a state; so they increased in number. The creed infiltrated into our country, too; almost all the dervish convents came into contact with it, and many innocent people caught this contagion and tumbled down into eternal death. May Allâhu ta'âlâ not let us dissent from the right, pure belief of the Ahl as-Sunnat. May He protect us against the perils called Wahhabism and Shiism, which instigate faction among Muslims! Âmîn. It is written on the initial pages of **Tuhfa-i ithnâ 'ashariyya:** The founder of Shiism was a Jew from Yemen, namely, Abdullah bin Saba, who was exiled to Madâyin by Hadrat Alî because he called him a god. [It is written in Munjid that he was a Jew who came from Egypt to Medina in 34 A.H. (657) and became a Muslim.] This group of heresy took a different shape in every century, was put into a definite shape during the time of Shâh Ismâ'îl, and books were written. Shiism was established during the time of Hadrat Alî. Its spreading among people began afterwards. In the sixtieth year of the Hegira, the **Kisâniyya** sect, in the sixty-sixth year the **Mukhtâriyya** sect, and in the hundred and ninth year the **Hishâmiyya** sect appeared, yet they could not catch on and perished. The **Zaydiyya** sect, which has been distracting Muslims from the right way for centuries, appeared in the hundred and twelfth year, and all the other sects appeared later. We may say briefly that all sects of bid'at which have been instigating faction among Muslims appeared after the deaths of all the Sahâba. The beliefs of all the Shî'a sects come together in three groups:

1) **Tafdîliyya:** they say that Hadrat Alî is the highest of the Sahâba.

2) **Sabbiyya:** they say that the Sahâba, with a few exceptions, became cruel disbelievers. They speak ill of them.

3) **Ghulât-i shî'a:** they say that Hadrat Alî is a god. So do the groups of **Sabaiyya** and **Nusayriyya.** They do not practice any worshipping.

These people have always gathered around one of the grandsons of Hadrad Alî and Hadrat Abbâs and differed into various sects. When Imâm-i Zainal'âbidîn passed away most of them came together around his son Zayd and while enroute to fight Yûsuf-i Saqâfî, who had been assigned the governor of Iraq by the Emevî (Umayyad) ruler Hishâm bin Abdulmalik, some of them dissented from Zayd. Zayd called them **Râfidî.** But they named themselves **Imâmiyya.** Those who remained with Zayd were called **Zaydî.** Both groups said, "After Rasûlullah, the caliphate belongs to the twelve îmâms."

The Twelve imâms are Alî bin Abî Tâlib, Hasan, Huseyn, Zainal'âbidîn, Muhammad Bâqir, Ja'far-i-Sâdiq, Mûsâ Kâzim, Alî Ridâ, Muhammad Jawad Taqiy, Alî Naqiy, Hasan Askarî Zakiy and Muhammad Mahdî. Attaching themselves to various sons of these twelve imâms, they parted into different groups. Today the majority of them are Imâmiyya and hold the first of the three main kinds of creed, yet there have been changes in their beliefs over the course of time. They now call themselves **Ja'farî.** There is lengthy information about the Ja'farîs in the entry **Ja'fari Sâdiq,** the hundred and eighty-third entry of the word list at the end of the Turkish origin of Endless Bliss.]

All of what the Mukhbir-i sâdiq (he who always tells the truth)

reported about the symptoms of Doomsday are true. There can be no errors. That day the sun, contrary to its usual course, will rise in the west. Hadrat Mahdî will appear, Hadrat Îsâ (Jesus) will descend from heaven. The Dajjal will appear, people called Ya'jûj and Ma'jûj (Gog and Magog) will spread on the earth.

[It is written in **Hujjat-ullâhi 'alal'âlamîn,** "People called Ya'jûj and Ma'jûj are descendants of Yâfas (Japheth), the (third) son of Nûh (Noah) 'alaihissalâm'. They have flat and wide faces, small eyes and big ears, and they are short. Each has a thousand children. Nine - tenths of the number of genies and men are Ya'jûj and Ma'jûj. Every day they make a hole in the wall they have been left behind. But at night the wall becomes the same as it was before. They are unbelievers. When they get beyond the wall, they will attack people. People will take refuge in cities and in buildings. They will eat up animals and drain rivers. Îsâ 'alaihissalâm' and his Sahâba will invoke against them. A wound will appear on the neck of each, and they will all die in one night. Eating them, animals will multiply. Their stink will make the earth impossible to live on." It is written in the Qur'ân that Gog and Magog are two evil peoples which were left behind a wall at a very ancient time and that they will spread on the earth towards Doomsday. Considering that archaelogical research discovers cities buried under the ground and sea fossils on the peaks of mountains, that wall does not have to be in the open, nor do those people have to be numerous today. As a matter of fact, it could be thought that as thousands of millions of people today have originated from two people, so those two peoples will spread on the earth by multiplying out of a few people and none knows where these people are.]

The beast called **Dâbbatulard** will appear, the sky will be covered with smoke, which will reach all the people and will hurt them; due to its pain everybody will pray, "Yâ Rabbî! Remove this torment from us. We now believe in Thee!" The last symptom is a fire, which will break out in Aden [which is in Yemen]. Somebody in India claimed to be the Mahdî, and he was believed by many ignorant people. According to them Hadrat Mahdî came, died, and his grave is in Fara city. [Also, some ignorant people in our country call those who say and write what they translate from the books of tasawwuf "Mahdi". They think that those people write their own inspirations.] However, a hadîth declares, **"There will be a cloud just above Mahdî's head. An Angel from the cloud will say: 'This is Mahdî. Believe what he** **says!,"** Another hadîth declares **: "Of all the people you have heard about, four persons took possession of the earth,** [that is, most of the countries known]. **Two of them were Believers and the other two were disbelievers. The two Believers were Hadrat Zulqarnein and Hadrat Suleymân. And the two disbelievers were Nemrûd (Nimrod) and Buhtunnassar** (Nebuchadnezzar). **Fifthly, the earth will be owned by one of my descendants, Mahdî."**

A hadîth declares: **"Before Doomsday, Allâhu ta'âlâ will create one of my descendants, whose name, father's name and mother's name will be the same as those of mine, and who will fill the world with justice. The earth, which will have been filled with cruelty before him, will be filled with justice during his time."** Another hadîth declares: **"The As'hâb-i kahf will be Mahdî's assistants and Îsâ** (Jesus) **will descend from heaven during his time. As Îsâ fights the Dajjâl, Mahdî will be with him. During his reign, unusually, contrary to calculations, there will be a solar eclipse on the fourteenth day of the blessed month of Ramadân and there will be a lunar eclipse on its first night."** Then, let them be reasonable enough to see if these symptoms exist [in those people whom the ignorant suppose to be Mahdî or] in that abovementioned dead man. Many other symptoms of Hadrat Mahdî have been predicted by Mukhbir-i Sâdiq 'alaihissalâtu wassalâm'. Hadrat Ahmad ibni Hajar-i Makkî wrote almost two hundred symptoms of Hadrat **Mahdî** in his book **Alqawlulmukhtasâr fî-alâmât-il-Mahdî.** While the symptoms of the reported Mahdî are so obvious, those who think of others as Mahdî are so ignorant. May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless them with the lot of seeing the truth! [The book **Juz'un minal-ahâdith wa'l-âsâr-il-wâridati fî-haqq-il-Mahdî,** by Jalâladdin-i Suyûtî, informs with the symptoms of hadrat Mahdî].

Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' declared: **"The Beni-Isrâil (Sons of Israel) parted into seventy-one groups. Seventy of these went to Hell and only one of them was saved. And the Nasârâ parted into seventy-two groups, seventy-one of which went to Hell and one was saved. After some time, my Ummat also will part into seventy-three groups. Seventy-two of these will go to Hell and one will be saved."** When asked by the Sahâba who were this one group, **"The group which will be saved from Hell are those who follow my Sahâba's way,"** he said. [It is written in the translation of **Milal-Nihal** that this hadîth exists in the four books called **Sunan.** ] The saved group is the Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-jamâ'at, who have held fast to the way of the best of mankind. O our Allah! Do not make us dissent from the îmân, from the belief communicated by the savants of the Ahl as-sunnat! Take us out of this world as we are together with them! Yâ Rabbî! Let us be together with them on the Day of Resurrection. After being guided into the true faith, do not let our hearts slip away from the right way and give us rahmat from Your High Kingdom. You are the greatest of those who give blessings.

The first principle of Islam is belief in Allâhu ta'âlâ and His Prophet. That is, it is to love them, like and admit their words.

After correcting the belief, it is certainly necessary to do the commands of the Sharî'at, to refrain from its prohibitions, that is, to carry out the rules of Islam. One should perform namâz five times without being slack or lazy. One should perform it with ta'dil-i arkân and in jamâ'at. **"It is namâz which distinguishes the Muslim from the kâfir."** [A person who performs namâz correctly and well is a Muslim. If a person performs namâz incorrectly or does not perform it at all, his being a Muslim is doubtful.] When a person performs namâz correctly and well, he has held fast to Islam's rope. For, namâz is the second of Islam's five principles.

Islam's third principle is to pay zakât.

Islam's fourth principle is to fast every day in the blessed month of Ramadân.

Its fifth principle is to perform hajj by making tawâf around the Ka'ba-i mu'azzama.

Islam's first principle, îmân, is to believe with the heart and express it with the tongue. And the other four principles are the worships that are to be done with the body and intended with the heart. Namâz, which has accumulated all worships in itself, is the highest of all. On the Day of Judgement the first questioning will be on namâz. If namâz is correct, all the other questions, with the help of Allâhu ta'âlâ, will pass easily.

We should avoid the harâms as well as possible. We should deem the things which Allâhu ta'âlâ dislikes as fatal poisons. Thinking about our faults, we should feel ashamed, embarrassed for having done them. We should repent and be sorry. This only becomes His slaves. He who talks and acts in a manner which Allâhu ta'âlâ dislikes without being ashamed, embarrassed, has been persistently opposing Allâhu ta'âlâ. Their obstinacies will almost drive them out of Islam, and will include them among His enemies. O our Allah! Have mercy on us. Through Thine Favour and Mercy, do not let us leave the right way.

[It is written in the third paragraph of the second chapter of the fourth section of the book **Riyâd-un-nâsihîn,** "Though the harâms have been divided into two classes, grave sins, and small sins, we should avoid the small sins as well as we avoid the grave ones, nor should we slight any sin. For Allâhu ta'âlâ is muntaqîm[] and ghanî (independent). He does not fear anybody in doing what He wishes. He has concealed His wrath, His enmity in sins. Any sin which is supposed to be small may cause His vengeance, His wrath."

It is written in the first paragraph of the third chapter of **Riyâd-un-nâsihîn,** "Sins other than disbelief and bid'at are classified in two groups. The first group are sins that are between Allâhu ta'âlâ and man. Having alcoholic drinks, not performing namâz and the like. Of these sins, we should very much avoid the small ones as well as the grave ones. Resûlullah declared: **"Avoiding a mote of** [very small] **sin is better than the worships of all genies and men."** All sins are grave because sin means not doing Allah's command. However, some of them seem small when compared to others. For example, looking lustfully at a nâmahram woman is less sinful than committing fornication. [What is less sinful than both is to satisfy one's desire with one's hand.] Not doing a small sin is more valuable than the supererogatory worships of the whole world. For, it is not fard to do supererogatory worships, whereas it is fard for everbody to avoid sins. It is permissible to commit a small sin in order to avoid a graver sin, when there is no other way.

After any sin committed, it is fard to make tawba (to repent and beg Allâhu ta'âlâ for forgiveness). Whatsoever the sin, the tawba will be accepted. It is written in **Kimyâ-i sa'âdat:** "A prayer of tawba that is done suitably with its conditions will certainly be accepted. We should not doubt if the tawba will be accepted. We should doubt if the tawba meets its conditions." Allâhu ta'âlâ may avenge for any sin which has not been repented for. For, Allah's wrath is hidden in sins. Allâhu ta'âlâ is very very powerful, victorious over everybody, and He is vindictive. He may refuse eternally a liked slave of His who has been worshipping for a hundred thousand years for one single sin, nor does He fear anything. The Qur'ân informs of this fact and communicates that the Devil [Shaytân], who had been obeying Him for two hundred thousand years, became eternally accursed because he was too arrogant to prostrate. A son of Hadrat Adam's, His representative on the earth, was eternally expelled by Him because he killed a man. Bal'âm-i Bâûrâ, during the time of Hadrat Mûsâ, knew the **Ism-i a'zâm**. Every prayer of his would be accepted (by Allâhu ta'âlâ). His knowledge and worshipping were in such a high degree that two thousand people would be present with him with their pens and ink pots in order to write what he said and benefit from his words. This Bal'âm, showing a little inclination towards one harâm of Allah's, died without îmân. He became the subject of public talk which said, "Those who are like him are like dogs." Qârûn was a relative of Hadrat Mûsâ's. Having been blessed with the benedictions of Hadrat Mûsâ, and being taught the knowledge of chemistry by him, he had become so rich that only the keys of his treasuries would be carried by forty mules. Because he did not pay the zakât, which was worth a few cents, he was made to go under the earth together with his entire property. Sa'laba, among the Sahâba, was very zâhid. He used to worship very much, so much so that he would not go out of the mosque. Because of one breach of promise he lost his chance to attain the grade of being Sahabî, and died without îmân. Our Master, the Prophet, was commanded not to invoke any blessings on him. Allâhu ta'âlâ has avenged upon many other people like these on account of one sin. Then each Believer should be very much afraid of committing sins. Upon committing one small sin he should repent, say istighfâr and beg for forgiveness."

It is written in the first paragraph of the second chapter of the second part of **Riyâd-un-nâsihîn** , "Tawba should be made with the heart, with the tongue and with the sinful limb altogether. The heart should repent. The tongue should pray and beg. And the limb should cease from sinning.

The second group of sins are among the human beings; making tawba for them requires pleasing the human being also. It is written in the book **Kimyâ-i sa'âdat that a hadîth declares: "Make the tawba for a sin secretly which has been done secretly! Make the tawba for a sin publicly which has been done publicly! Make sure that those who know of your sin hear your repentance!"**

Then, it is useless to say, "Maybe he repented, gave up apostasy," about those dead people who were hostile against Islam and who persecuted Muslims when they were alive. Their cruel limbs must do favours, their tongues must pray, and they must say their last requests in such a manner as to please the oppressed. Those apostates who have not done so will not be thought of as good.]

What people living there are quite unaware of \- and you are perhaps no exception - is the fact that you are in possession of a great fortune, a blessing which Allâhu ta'âlâ has exclusively conferred on you. I mean that the sultan of the time is a Sunnite Muslim in the Hanafî Madhhab, beginning from his seventh grandfather. It is a fact that in our time, which is close to the end of the world and away from the time of Rasûlullah, some students of knowledge have approached the statesmen and the Sultan for some years, and tried to gain their favour so that they could satisfy their own ambitions and ugly desires which originated from the dirt in their hearts, so they caused some doubts to appear in this true religion, and some idiots to slip away from the right way, but it is happiness to see that this famed sultan listens to you and follows your advice. Explain the words haqq and Islam to him, directly or implicatively, with their meanings compatible with the belief of the Ahl as-sunna wa jamâ'at. In the presence of the Sultan, as far as possible, propagate the words of the devotees, the scholars of the right way, so much so that, always try to find the opportunity to teach the knowledge about Madhhab and religion. So, the truth of Islam will be brought to light. In addition, the ugliness and evilness of heresy, falsehood, atheism and disbelief will be realized. It is naturally clear that disbelief is null and void. A man with reason will never like it. Without hesitation, it must be made known that disbelief is invalid. Their false gods which they worship must be intolerantly refused and banished. No doubt, and no hesitation, the real God is only the Creator of the heavens. Have those things which disbelievers worship and praise as creators created a mosquito? They cannot create anything even if they all come together. None of the things which they worship can defend itself against a mosquito which will bite it. How can it ever protect others against harms? Disbelievers, hearing that these doings of theirs are bad and realizing their faults, say that their idols and statues will intercede for them with Allâhu ta'âlâ, that they will make them approach Him, that for this reason they are worshipping them. They are so stupid. How do they know that those inanimate objects will intercede for them? Whence do they understand that Allâhu ta'âlâ will accept the intercession of these idols, which have been made His partners and which are His enemies? Their case is like that of those idiots who help those who revolt against the government and then say that when they are in trouble these rebels will intercede for them, will ask a favour for them so that they will attain the government's help. They are so stupid that they both respect the rebels and say that the government will forgive them through their intercession. On the contrary, they should have helped the government and suppressed the rebels. In this case only would they approach the government, walk in the right way and attain to safety and comfort. Idiots, dressing a piece of stone with their own hands, worship it for years. They expect its help on the Day of Resurrection. Then, it is obvious that disbelievers' religions are corrupt.

Of Muslims, those who have deviated from the right way are called **holders of bid'at**. The right way is the way of Hadrat Muhammad 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' and his four Khalîfas. It is written in the book **Ghunya** by Abd-ul-qâdir Geilanî: "The origins of the seventy-two sects of bid'at are nine groups, which are the Khârijî, Râfidî, Mu'tazila, Murji'a, Mushabbiha, Juhaymiyya, Dirâriyya, Najjâriyya and Kilâybiyya. None of these existed during the time of our Prophet and Chihâr Yâr-i guzîn (the four Khalîfas). Their appearing and deviating into different ways happened many years after the deaths of the Sahâba, the Tâbi'în and the Fuqahâ-i sab'a."

[ **Fuqahâ-i sab'a** means the seven great savants. It is written in the thirty-fourth page of the first volume of the translation of **Tejrîd-i-sarîh** , which is an abridged edition of Bukhârî, "These seven great savants of the blessed city of Medina were Sa'îd ibni Musayyab, Qâsim bin Muhammad bin Abî Bakr-inis-Siddîq, Urwatabni-Zubayr, Khârijatabni-Zaid, Abû Salama-tabni-Abdurrahmân bin Awf, Ubaydullah ibni Utba and Abû Ayyûb Suleimân."]

Our Prophet declared: **"After me, there will be many differences among Muslims. Those who will live in those times should hold fast to my way and to the way of the Khulafâ-i râshidîn! They should avoid the things that will appear and will be all the fashion afterwards? For, renovation, reform in Islam means to deviate from the right way. Changes that will be made in Islam after me are irreligious."**

This hadîth shows that all the things invented in Islam after our Prophet and the Khulefâ-i râsihidîn are worthless. They are not reliable. Let us thank Allâhu ta'âlâ very much because He has included us in the group of Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-jamâ'at, who will be saved from Hell. He has not let us join one of the seventy-two groups of bid'at, who will go to Hell. He has so graciously protected us from falling for their corrupt beliefs. [Nor has He let us join those who, by saying, "You created, we ask for a religion from you,' exalt some people up to the rank of Allah.] Nor has He made us one of those who say that man creates his own work and action. He has not made us one of those who disbelieve seeing Allâhu ta'âlâ in Paradise, either. In fact, this seeing is the greatest of all the blessings of this world and the next. And He has not included us with those two groups who hurt the Sahâba of the Best of Mankind 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' by speaking ill of them. They think of these great men of dîn as evil. They think that they were hostile against one another, that they concealed their hostility and grudge and handled each other hypocritically. However, Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the Qur'ân that the Sahâba always love one another. These two groups disbelieve the Qur'ân. They say that there was hostility and hatred among them. May Allâhu ta'âlâ give them reason and show them the right way! Thank Him, again, He has not included us among those who say that Allâhu ta'âlâ is a substance, an object, and who consider Him to be with time and place, thus comparing the Creator to His creatures, [nor among those apostates, idiots, who sell their faith and tread on the sacred property of their ancestors to obtain money, post, rank, comfort and to enjoy themselves].

It should be known well that presidents, those who preside over societies are like the soul. And people are like the body. If the soul is good, the body will be pious and good, too. If the soul is corrupt, the body will be corrupt, too. Then, to strive so that presidents will be good [so that those who are not hostile to Islam will be elected to govern the people] will mean to work for the benefit of all people. Trying to bring someone round to the right course can be done by teaching Islam to him. No matter through what way, we should strive so that those who will govern people will be Muslims. After their being Muslims, we should inform them of the belief of the Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-jamâ'at. We should struggle for the annihilation of corrupt ideas. A person who has the fortune of doing these becomes prophets' inheritor. This chance has fallen to your lot for nothing. Appreciate it! I could never write too much on this subject. But this much will suffice for you. Only Allâhu ta'âlâ guides people to the right way.

[It is written in the thirty-ninth (39) article of **Majalla,** "With the changing of time, rules that are based on customs can be changed." However, rules that are declared through the Nass (âyats and hadîths) never change. Every custom cannot be based on as a canonical proof. Deriving a rule from a custom requires that the custom should not contradict the Nass, and it should have come from those Muslims called Salaf.[] Even if those who commit the harâms increase in number and the harâms become customs, they are still not halâl. And, if symptoms of disbelief become customs and spread among Muslims, they will not become Islamic customs. Nor will they escape being symptoms of disbelief. In customs that are mubâh (permitted) and in scientific knowledge, it is necessary to follow the present time and to keep in step with those who make technical progress. The time will not be followed in Islamic knowledge or in worships. The knowledge of îmân, the knowledge of dîn, does not change in the process of time. Those who want to change it and to adapt it to the time will deviate from the Ahl as-sunnat; they will become disbelievers or heretics.]

2 - THIRD VOLUME, 38th LETTER

This letter, written to Mulla Ibrâhim, explains the hadîth which informs that this Ummat will part into seventy-three groups:

It is declared in a hadîth that this Ummat will part into seventy-three groups, seventy-two of whom will go to Hell. This hadîth informs that the seventy-two groups will be tormented in the fire of Hell. It does not inform that they will stay in torment eternally. Remaining in the torment of Hell-fire eternally is for those who do not have îmân. That is, it is for disbelievers. The seventy-two groups, on account of their corrupt belief, will go to Hell and will burn as much as the corruptness of their belief. One group, the seventy-third, will be saved from Hell-fire because their belief is not corrupt. If among the members of this one group there are those who committed evil deeds and if these evil deeds of theirs have not been forgiven through tawba or shafâ'at, it is possible that these, too, will burn in Hell as much as their sins. All of those who are in the seventy-two groups will go to Hell. But none of them will remain in Hell eternally. Not all of those who are in this one group will go to Hell. Of these only those who have committed evil deeds will go to Hell. The seventy-two reported **groups of bid'at,** which will go to Hell, should not all be called "disbelievers", because they are **Ahl-i qibla**. However, of these people, the ones who disbelieve those Islamic tenets that are indispensable to be believed, as well as those who deny those **rules of the Sharî'at** which every Muslim has heard and knows become disbelievers. The savants of the **Ahl as-sunnat** declare: "If a Muslim's statement signifies a hundred meanings ninety-nine of which causing disbelief and one showing that he is a Muslim, it is necessary to take this one meaning, thus saving him from the state of disbelief." Allâhu ta'âlâ knows the truth of everything. His Word is the most reliable word.

It was informed that the poor ones of this Ummat would go to Paradise half a day before the rich ones. This half day is equal to five hundred worldly years. For, one day expressed by Allâhu ta'âlâ is as long as a thousand worldly years. It is declared clearly in **Hajj Sûra** that this is so. Allâhu ta'âlâ, alone, knows why it is that long. For, the next world does not have the night, the day, the month or the year, which exist in the world. The poor people having the privilege of going to Paradise earlier are those poor people who obey the Sharî'at and who are patient. To obey the Sharî'at means to do what the Sharî'at commands and to avoid what it prohibits. And there are grades, degrees in poverty. The highest of grades is obtained in the rank of fanâ. A faqîr who is in this grade knows everything other than Allâhu ta'âlâ as poor, needy. [There is not a creature who does not need Allâhu ta'âlâ, that is, who is not poor before Him.] He forgets all creatures. He remembers none of them. He who has attained all grades of poverty is superior to the one who has attained a few. It is for this reason that the state of a person who has reached the grade of fanâ and who is poor, needy outwardly is better, more valuable than that of a person who has reached the grade of fanâ but who is not poor outwardly.

3 - THIRD VOLUME, 101st LETTER

This letter, written to Shaikh Abdullah, informs that it is not permissible to interpret or explain away the âyats of the Qur'ân as philosophers understand them:

May Allâhu ta'âlâ give you safety and protect you against calamities! You sent the book named **Tabsîr-ur-rahmân**. I have read some parts of it. I am sending it back. [ **Tabsîr-ur-rahmân** **wa Taysir-ul-mannân** is a book of tafsîr. It was written by Zayn-ud-dîn Alî bin Ahmad Armâwî 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh', one of the savants of the Hanbalî Madhhab. He died in the year 710.]

My dear brother! It is understood that the author of this book has deviated into the way of philosophers. He almost holds them equal to prophets. The meaning which he gave to an âyat of **Hûd Sûra** has caught my eye. He interprets the âyat like philosophers, disagreeing with prophets' way. He holds prophets' word and philosophers' word equal as if they were of the same value, and says, **"according to the unanimity of prophets and philosophers"** about the âyat, **"For them there is none in the next world,"** and says, "By feeling, or mentally, theoretically..." concerning the âyat, **"Torment by fire only."** What value would philosophers' unanimity ever have at a place where there is prophets' 'alaihimus-salawât-u wa't-tahiyyât' unanimity? What importance could their words have which inform of the torment in the next world, especially when they disagree with prophets' words? Philosophers say that Hell torment is mental and theoretical, and he says so, too. These words of theirs show that they deny the fact that the body will feel the torment. However, prophets have communicated unanimously that torment will be felt. The book, also in its other parts, writes the âyats of the Qur'ân as philosophers say. On account of its writings which disagree with those who follow prophets' way, the book bears secret, even very obvious, harm. Seeing that it would be necessary to inform you of this fact, I have caused your head to ache with a few words. I send my salâm.

4 - SECOND VOLUME, 19th LETTER

This letter was written to Mîr Muhibullah. It gives advice to hold fast to the Sunnat-i saniyya and to avoid bid'ats:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! I pronounce my benedictions over His Prophets and send my salâm to you. My dear brother, Sayyid Mir Muhibullah! The states, the guidance of the faqîrs being here are very good. Infinite gratitude due to Allâhu ta'âlâ for this reason. I pray to Allâhu ta'âlâ for your salvation and so that your state will not change and you will make progress in the right way. Nowadays, you have not let us know of what situation you have been in. Your being so far makes it difficult for us to correspond. Giving advice is the first duty in our dîn and is to follow the Highest of Prophets (May our highest benedictions and salâms be over him and all others!). Following him requires carrying out all his sunnats, that is, his commands and prohibitions, and avoiding the bid'ats, which he dislikes. Even if those bid'ats looked bright like the breaking of dawn that annihilates the darkness of night, it would be necessary to abstain from all of them. For, there is no nûr, no light in any bid'at, nor any cure for an ill person. They cannot be medicine for a sick person. For, each bid'at either annihilates a sunnat, or it has nothing to do with the Sunnat. However, those bid'ats which have nothing to do with the Sunnat overflow the Sunnat and are superfluous. So they annihilate the Sunnat. For, to do any command more than commanded means to change the command. Hence, it is understood that each bid'at, no matter how it is, annihilates the Sunnat, and is at loggerheads with the Sunnat. There is no goodness or beauty in any bid'at. I wish I knew why and how they ever said 'beautiful' about some of the bid'ats which appeared after the blessings had been completed in this perfect dîn, Islam, which Allahu ta'âlâ likes. Why did they not know that when something has been perfected, completed and liked, supplements added to it cannot be beautiful? Any change made in something correct and right is deviation, heresy. If they realized the fact that to say beautiful about something which appeared later in this perfect and complete dîn would mean to say that the dîn did not reach perfection or the blessing was not completed, they would not say beautiful about any bid'at. O our Allah! Do not call us to acount for what we have forgotten or what we have erred on! I send my salâm to you and to those being with you.

[The term sunnat has three different meanings in our dîn. When **Book and Sunnat** are said together, the Book means the Qur'ân and the Sunnat means hadîths. When said **Fard and Sunnat** fard means Allah's commandments and sunnat means our Prophet's 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' sunnats, that is, his commands. When the word Sunnat is used alone, it means the Sharî'at, that is, all the rules of Islam. Books of fiqh teach this fact. For example, it is written in **Mukhtasar-i Qudûrî** , "He who knows the Sunnat best will become the imâm." When explaining this statement, the book **Jawhara** writes, "In this context Sunnat means the Sharî'at." See the fifteenth chapter of the third fascicle!

It has now been understood that for purifying the heart it is necessary to follow the Sharî'at. To follow the Sharî'at means to do the commandments and to refrain from the prohibitions and bid'ats.

Bid'at means something which has been invented later. They are things which did not exist during the time of our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' and his four Khalîfas 'radiyallâhu 'anhum' and which have been invented later in the dîn and which people have been doing as worships. For example, since it is necessary to recite the **Âyat-al-kursî** immediately after each namâz, it is bid'at to recite the **Salâtan tunjînâ** or other prayers first. They should be recited after **the Âyat-al-kursî** and tesbîhs. It is bid'at to prostrate and then stand up after finishing a namâz. It is bid'at to call the adhân through loudspeakers.

Any change or reform made in the dîn is bid'at. But it is not bid'at to use such things as forks, spoons, ties, to drink coffee, tea, or to smoke, for they are not worships; they are customs, habits, and are mubâh. They are not harâm. To do them does not cause one to omit what the religion commands or to do what it prohibits. It is written in **Hadîqa-tun-nadiyya,** "If the bid'at is something not pertaining to the religion or worship, and if it involves customs, our religion does not reject it. If we do not intend to do worship, i.e., to attain closeness to Allâhu ta'âlâ and if we only think of doing something worldly in eating, drinking, dressing, getting vehicles, building, dwelling and home care, unless these do not prevent us from doing any worship or cause us to commit any prohibited thing, these are not bid'at. Our religion does not prohibit them." There are three kinds of bid'at:

1 - It is the worst bid'at to use -without any darûrat (compulsion)- those things which the Sharî'at says to be the signs of disbelief. On page 467 of **al-Barîqa** and 696 of **Majmâ' al-anhur,** it is written that the 'ulamâ' said, "It is permissible to use them to deceive (khud'a) the disbelievers in dâr al-harb."

2 - Those beliefs which disagree with what is communicated by the savants of the Ahl as-sunnat are also evil bid'ats.

3 - Those reforms made in the **name** of worship are bid'ats in worship and are grave sins. Some 'ulamâ' divided the bid'ats in 'ibâdât or 'amal into the **hasana** and **sayyia.** Al-Imâm ar-Rabbânî 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh' did not say 'bid'ats' about those bid'ats which scholars termed 'hasana'. He called them 'sunnat-i-hasana'. He said 'bid'ats' about those which they termed 'bid'at-i-sayyia', and he condemned such bid'ats. Wahhabis, on the other hand, say 'sayyia' about bid'ats termed 'hasana' and approved, and they call those who practice such bid'ats 'disbelievers', 'polytheists'.][]

5 - SECOND VOLUME, 89th LETTER

This letter, written to Sayyid Mîr Muhibbullah, informs that in the world it is necessary to do what will be useful to the Hereafter.

Praise and thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! May Allahu ta'âlâ keep you and us on the right way of your ancestors! As the alms of His beloved Prophet, the Highest of Mankind, may He accept our prayer! The states and the matters of the faqîrs being here have been all right. We always offer our hamd and thanks to Allâhu ta'âlâ, and we pronounce our infinite benedictions and salâm over His Prophet. I pray to Allâhu ta'âlâ that you may keep on being in safety, in good health, on the right way, and make progress. My dear and merciful Sir! The time of earning has been going past. Each moment past has been subtracting from your life, the time of death is approaching. If we do not pull ourselves together today, we will obtain nothing but sighing, wailing and repenting tomorrow. In this few-days' time of health, we should try to live suitably with the brilliant Sharî'at! In this way only are we hoped to get saved. Worldly life is the time of work. The time of comfort and pleasure is further ahead. The rewards of what is done in the world will be obtained there. To spend the time of work amusing oneself is like a farmer's eating his seeds, thus depriving himself of the harvest which he will get later on. I hesitate to write any more lest I cause your head to ache. May Allâhu ta'âlâ make you attain the blessings of this world and the next!

6 - THIRD VOLUME, 31st LETTER

This letter, written to Mulla Badraddîn, gives information on âlam-i arwâh, âlam-i mithâl and âlam-i ajsâd, and explains the torment in the grave:

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Salâm to those people distinguished, loved by Him! You say that the soul was in the âlam-i mithâl before it was united with the body. "After leaving the body it will go back to the âlam-i mithâl. Torment in the grave, therefore, will take place in the âlam-i mithâl. The sorrows, pains in the âlam-i mithâl will be felt like feeling them in dreams. Furthermore, this information has various branches. I will write you much about this subject if you allow me to," you say.

**Answer** : Know that such illusions, rootless words are so far from being correct. I am afraid that such thoughts may lead you out of the right way. Though I hardly have time, I will force myself to write a few words on this subject. Allâhu ta'âlâ, alone, makes men attain to the right way.

My dear brother! The world of mumkînât, that is, creatures, have been classified in three groups: **âlam-i arwâh,** **âlam-i mithâl** and **âlam-i ajsâd.** The âlam-i mithâl has also been called **âlam-i barzah**. For, this âlam is between the **âlam-i arwâh** and the **âlam-i ajsâd**. This âlam is like a mirror. The real beings and meanings in the other two âlams are seen in fine figures in this âlam. For, a figure, a shape which is suitable with each real thing, each meaning in the two âlams exists in this âlam. This âlam does not contain any real thing, any substance, any meaning that exists in itself. The figures, the shapes being here are all appearances which are reflected from the other âlams. There is not a figure or a shape in a mirror. When a figure appears in a mirror, this appearance comes from some other place. So is the case with the âlam-i-mithâl. When this is realized well, we say that the soul also was in its own âlam before getting attached to the body. The âlam-i arwâh is higher than the âlam-i mithâl. When the soul is united with the body it falls in love with the body and descends into this âlam. It is not related with the âlam-i mithâl. As the soul has no relation with the âlam-i mithâl before it gets attached to the body, so it has no relation with the âlam after the cessation of its connection with the body. Only, at times when Allâhu ta'âlâ wishes, some states of the soul are seen in the mirror of this âlam. This helps understand if the states of the soul are good or bad. Kashfs and dreams happen in this manner. Another event which has happened many times is that man has seen the figures in the âlam-i mithâl without losing his senses. When the soul parts from the body it goes up if it is high. If it is low it gets down. There is no connection between it and the âlam-i mithâl. The âlam-i mithâl is an âlam in sight. It is not an âlam of beings. There are two âlams of beings. The âlam-i arwâh and the âlam-i ajsâd. In other words, the world of substances are the âlams of beings. Things being in these are not only appearances. They themselves exist, too. But there is no being in the âlam-i mithâl. Only, it is like a mirror for the beings in the âlam-i arwâh and the âlam-i ajsâd. When dreaming, the sorrows, the pains, the troubles in the âlam-i mithâl are seen. This is seeing the appearance, in the âlam-i mithâl, the torment deserved by the one who sees it. It is shown to him in order to wake him up from unawareness so that he will pull himself together.

Torment in the grave is not seeing the visions in the âlam-i mithâl when dreaming. Torment in the grave is unlike dreams. Torment in the grave is not the appearing of torment. It is the torment itself. Moreover, even if it should be said that the pain, the torment which is seen when dreaming is the torment itself, it is still like worldly torment. But the torment in the grave is one of the torments of the next world. These are unlike each other. For, worldly torments are nothing when compared to torments in the next world. May Allâhu ta'âlâ protect us against those torments! If a spark of the torments in the next world came to the world, it would burn, annihilate everything. To think that torment in the grave is like the torment seen in dreams results from not knowing, not understanding the torment in the grave. It originates from mistaking the torment itself and its vision from each other. This wrong thought may also be because of thinking that torment in the next world and worldly torment are the same. It is quite wrong to think so. It is obvious that it is wrong, corrupt.

**Question:** The forty-second âyat of **Zumar Sûra** declares: **"As man dies, Allâhu ta'âlâ parts his soul from his body. Before he dies, He parts his soul as he sleeps, too."** As it is understood from this âyat, as man's soul parts from him as he dies, so his soul parts from him when he goes to sleep. Accordingly, how could it ever be correct to deem the torment in dreams as one of the worldly torments while deeming the torment in the grave as one of the torments in the next world?

**Answer:** The soul's parting from the body when asleep is like a person's leaving his own country smilingly, with pleasure, in order to go on a journey or on a picnic; he will return to his home happily. The place where the soul will travel is the âlam-i mithâl. There are interesting, sweet things to be seen in this âlam. Not so is the case with the soul's leaving the body when dying. This leaving is like that of a person who leaves his country because his country has been demolished, his houses, apartment houses have been destroyed. It is for this reason that there is no trouble or pain in its leaving the body when asleep. On the contrary, there is happiness and comfort. But there are many pains, hardships in its leaving the body when dying. The sleeping person's country is the world. They practise on him the same exercises as those in the world. But the dead person's world has been demolished. He has migrated to the next world. They practise on him excercises pertaining to the next world. Therefore, a hadîth [reported by Daylamî] declares: **"When a man dies his Doomsday has come."**

Mind you, do not dissent from the belief taught by the savants of **Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-jamâ'at** by being deceived by the kashfs happening in the imagination and the things seen in the âlam-i mithâl! May Allâhu ta'âlâ plentifully reward those great savants for their work! Do not believe in dreams, illusions! For, unless this Madhhab of salvation is followed escaping torment in the next world cannot be thought of. Those who want to be saved in the next world should give up their own opinions and do their utmost to follow those great people. A messenger's duty is to say what he knows. Seeing the slackness in your writing, I feared much that you might fall for your illusions and fall into the calamity of abandoning the good luck of following the great, that you might be seized by the current of your own kashfs. We trust ourselves to Allâhu ta'âlâ against the evils of our nafs and the corruptness of our deeds. The Devil is our arch enemy. You should be on the alert so that it will not make you deviate from the right way! It is not even a year that we have not seen each other, and yet what happened to your strictness in following Rasûlullah's Sunnat, [that is, the way shown by the savants of the Ahl as-sunnat] and to your works showing that the only way to salvation is to cling to the way of those great people? How soon they were forgotten! You have been rolling behind your illusions. I understand that we will probably meet at a rather late date. You should regulate your daily life in such a way that the hope of saving yourself will not perish! O our Allah! Pity us! Bless us with good deeds! We send our salâm to those who are on the right way.

7 - THIRD VOLUME, 57th LETTER

This letter, written to Mawlânâ Hamîd Ahmadî, informs that the âlam was created from nothing, and refutes the thing which the Greek philosophers called active mind:

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ who, is the creator of âlams, and salât and salâm be on the highest of Prophets! Allâhu ta'âlâ exists by Himself. Allah's existence is from Himself. As He exists now, so He always existed in the past. And He will always exist in **future**. It is impossible that He be nonexistent before or after His existence. He should exist always. Nonexistence cannot approach Him. Everything other than Allâhu ta'âlâ is called **âlam.** All the âlam, matter's physical states, [that is, solid substances, liquids and gases, atoms, molecules and energies], heavens, minds, selves [cells, all the living], elements and compounds came into existence by His creation. While being nonexistent, they came to being later. Only He exists eternally. All besides Him were nonexistent. They came to being afterwards. After a while they will cease to exist again. He created the earth in two days. Then He created heavens, the stars in two days, too. That is, He created them from nothing. The ninth âyat of **Hâ-mîm Sajda Sûra** purports: **"He created the earth in two days,"** and its twelfth âyat purports: **"then, He created the seven heavens in two days, too."** If a person comes forward, denies these âyats of the Qur'ân, and says that some creatures, heavens, stars, elements, minds and souls are eternal, it will be understood that he is an idiot. All dîns have communicated that everything other than Allâhu ta'âlâ is hâdith, that is, they were created afterwards while they had been nonexistent. This unanimity of all dîns is communicated by Hujjat-ul-Islâm Imâm-i Muhammad Ghazâlî in his book **Almunqidhu Aniddalâl,** in which he also writes that those who say that some of the things in the âlam are eternal will become disbelievers. As it is seen, to say that one of the creatures is eternal means to go out of the dîn and to become a philosopher. All things other than Allâhu ta'âlâ were nonexistent, and they will cease to exist again. Towards Doomsday, stars will leave their places and disperse, heavens will be rent asunder, and mountains also will be torn to pieces, and all will be annihilated. The Qur'ân informs with the fact clearly. All groups of Muslims have communicated this unanimously. **Al-hâqqa Sûra** purports, **"Once the Sûr is blown, the earth and mountains shall be lifted up and shaken off. That day, end of the world shall come, the sky shall be divided and rent asunder." Takwîr Sûra** purports, **"When the sun shall darken, the stars shall fall and the mountains shall be broken to pieces and dispersed..."; Infitâr Sûra** purports, **"When the sky shall be broken apart and the stars shall be dispersed and annihilated..."** and the last âyat of **Qasas Sûra** purports, **"Everything shall be annihilated, He only shall remain!"**

These and many other similar âyats exist in the Qur'ân. It will be ignorance not to believe that they will be annihilated. Or it is to believe in the falsely-adorned lies of the philosophers who deny the Qur'ân. As it is seen, it is one of the conditions of îmân to believe that creatures will be annihilated as well as to believe that they were created from nothing. It is certainly necessary to believe it. Some savants said that seven things, namely the Arsh, the Kursî, the Lawh, the Pen, Paradise, Hell, the Rûh, will not be annihilated, and they will remain eternally. But these words of theirs do not mean that these cannot be annihilated. They mean that Allâhu ta'âlâ will annihilate whichever He wishes of the things which He created and He will not annihilate some others which He wishes, for uses and reasons which He, alone, knows; these will eternally exist. Allâhu ta'âlâ does what He wishes and commands what He wishes. As understood from what has been written so far, the âlam, that is, everything, exists through Allah's Will and Power. Everything needs Allâhu ta'âlâ to exist, to remain in existence. For, to be eternal means to go on existing every moment. It does not mean to become something else. It is by Allah's Will and Decree both to exist and to go on existing. How could the thing which was called **active mind** by the ancient philosophers [and which is called **natural forces** by today's enemies of the dîn] ever control creatures' existence or nonexistence? There have been various sayings even on its own existence. For, the thing which they have given the name has been put forward through their poor minds. According to the true teachings of Islam, these things are intermediaries in Allâhu ta'âlâ's creating. These intermediaries also were, and are being, created by Allâhu ta'âlâ. It is such a grave idiocy to end up the existence of creatures by such made-up, illusive names instead of believing the fact that it is from Allâhu ta'âlâ [who is Omniscient, Omnipotent]. In fact, creatures would deem it base and would be ashamed to be servants, slaves to something concocted by those shortsighted people who are the slaves of their own minds, instead of being creatures of Allah, Who is the highest of the high. They would prefer nonexistence to being such slaves. They would not wish to exist as the slaves of something fabulous instead of being creatures of a creator who is capable of everything and who can do what He wishes. As it is purported in an âyat in **Kahf Sûra,** such idiots are decribed as **"What they utter is a very evil word. They always tell lies."**

8 - SECOND VOLUME, 60th LETTER

This letter, written to Muhammad Taqî, informs that it is necessary to give up superfluous actions and to do what is indispensable:

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and salâm to His distinguished, beloved slaves! I have had the honour of reading your valuable letter. You gathered and wrote the documents and witnesses informing that Hadrat Abû Bakr Siddîq's caliphate was rightful and that he was elected the Khalîfa with the unanimity of the good people of the first [Islamic] century, the best century. By the same token, we have been so happy to read your statements explaining that the superiority of the four Khalîfas to one another, who are called Khulafâ-i râshidîn, is in accordance with the sequence of their caliphates, and that we should not be vociferous and keep quiet concerning the disagreements and combats among the Sahâba, who were educated by the Highest of Mankind, Hadrat Muhammad 'alaihissalâm'. Belief so far concerning the imâms and Khalîfas is sufficient. The savants of **Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-jamâ'at** state so. May Allâhu ta'âlâ plentifully reward these savants for their work!

My merciful brother! Information about the imâms, that is, caliphates, is not of the indispensable teachings of our dîn. That is, it is not from the **usûl-i dîn.** It is from the **furû'-i dîn.** The indispensable teachings, that is, the **darûriyyât-i dîn,** are a different matter. They are the teachings on **belief** and **deeds.** In other words, first of all it is necessary to learn the facts to be believed and the deeds to be done. The former part of the indispensable information is called **'ilm-i kalâm** and the latter part is called **'ilm-i fiqh.** To give up the indispensable and to busy with the unnecessary will mean to spend one's valuable lifetime on futile pursuits. A hadîth declares: **"What signifies Allah's disliking a slave of His is his destroying his time on futile pursuits."** If it were from the indispensable usûl-i dîn to deal with caliphates as the Shiites say, Allâhu ta'âlâ would clearly declare in the Qur'ân who would be the Khalîfa after Rasûlullah's death. And our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' would command the caliphate of a certain person. Since the Qur'ân or the hadîths do not lay importance on the matter, it is seen that dealing with Khalîfas is not of the usûl-i-dîn, but it is of the superfluous teachings of the dîn. Let those who like to spend their time on futilities busy with the superfluous teachings. The indispensable teachings of Islam are so many that one could hardly find time to be busy with the superfluous teachings. First of all, it is necessary to correct the belief. Of the teachings which our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' brought from Allâhu ta'âlâ, we should learn and believe the ones which are indispensable through tawâtur! Thus, it is necessary to believe the hashr (assembling in the place of Judgement) and the nashr (dispersing after the Judgement to go to Paradise or to Hell), to believe the endless torments and rewards and the fact that such teachings are doubtlessly true. Unless one believes these one will not be saved in the Hereafter. After correcting the belief, it is necessary to learn the teachings of fiqh and do them. Thus, it is necessary to do fards and wâjibs and even sunnats and mustahabs, to be careful about halâls and harâms, and not to overflow the limits of the Sharî'at. Thus only can one hope to escape torment in the Hereafter. When belief and deeds have become correct, the turn comes to the way of tasawwuf. Then begins the hope of attaining to perfections in Wilâyat. Compared to these indispensable religious duties of the dîn, such concerns as 'Whom did the caliphate belong to by rights?' are unnecessary and useless. Only, because some corrupt and heretical people have misunderstood these things, behaved excessively and attempted to blemish the Sahâba of the Best of Mankind, it has become necessary to announce the information that will refute them. For, it is of the indispensables of the dîn to prevent faction, chaos in this perfect dîn. Wassalâm.

9 - THIRD VOLUME, 36th LETTER

This letter was sent to Hadrat Mîr Muhammad Nu'mân. It was written in order to remove the doubts of those who deny torment in the grave:

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Salâm upon His distinguished, beloved slaves! Despite the fact that it has been informed by sahîh, mashhûr hadîths, and even by âyats in the Qur'ân that there will be torment in the grave, it is seen that many people have been doubting it, even disbelieving it, and saying that it is impossible. Because they see that the dead are motionless and remain as they are put before they are interred, they doubt the fact that there is torment in the grave. They say that if a dead person were tormented and hurt, it would move, flutter as the alive do. In response we say that the dead's state, which is called **"life in grave"** or **"life in the âlam-i barzah,"** is unlike the life of the living in the world. As the world's order and harmony require, life here contains both feelings, senses, and voluntary actions. But in the life of barzah, it is not necessary to move. In fact, the life of barzah should not contain movements. Senses are sufficient for those who are in that life for feeling the pains and torments. As it is seen, the life of barzah, that is, life in the grave, is sort of half the life in the world. The soul's attachment to the body in the grave is half its attachment when alive. Therefore, those dead people who have not been interred, being in the life of barzah, feel the pain and torment but cannot move or react. So it is understood that the Mukhbir-i sâdîq 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', who always tells the truth, has told the truth.

Let us add this to eradicate the doubts: The rank of prophethood is beyond and above mind and thought. Many things which mind cannot grasp or understand are understood at the rank of prophethood. If everything could be comprehended through mind, prophets would not have been sent 'sallawâtullâhi ta'âlâ wa taslîmâtuhu subhânahu 'alaihim ajma'în'. Torments in the next world would not have been communicated by sending prophets. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the fifteenth âyat of **Isrâ Sûra: "We shall not torment before sending the Prophet and letting know."** Mind can comprehend many things. But not everything. And its comprehension is not perfect, without defects. It understands many things after prophets' communication. Prophets' coming has prevented men from making up excuses or pretexts. It is purported in the hundred and sixty-fourth âyat of **Nisâ Sûra: "I sent prophets in order to threaten and to give the glad tidings. Thus, men have been prevented from putting forth pretexts towards Allâhu ta'âlâ."** Mind errs so often even in worldly affairs. There is noone who does not know this fact. It could not be right to attempt to weigh the teachings of the Sharî'at with such a gauge as mind. To study the teachings of the Sharî'at with mind to see if they are suitable with mind means to trust mind like trusting something unerring and to disbelieve the rank of prophethood. May Allâhu ta'âlâ protect us all from doing this corrupt deed! First, it is necessary to believe the Prophet and to confirm that he is Allah's Prophet. Thus, everything he has communicated will have been admitted to be true. One will have been blessed with the lot of getting rid of suspicions and doubts. Islam's basis is belief in the Prophet. It is mind's admitting the fact that the Prophet has been sent by Allah and he always says the truth. When mind accepts this basic information it has accepted also all of what the Prophet communicated. Unless mind accepted the fact that the Prophet had been sent by Allah and that he reported what Allah had declared, it would be impracticable to make it believe Islam's teachings one by one.

The shortest way for mind's believing the Prophet easily and to form of a perfect îmân in the heart is the dhikr of Allâhu ta'âlâ. The thirtieth âyat of **Ra'd Sûra** purports **: "Be it known well that** **hearts will attain serenity and ease with dhikr!"** In other words, they will attain perfect îmân. It is difficult, very difficult to reach this high rank by thinking, by measuring with mind.

Couplet:

A rationalist's feet are made of wood.  
So, it is impossible to claim them to be sound.

I would like to add that a person who follows the Prophet's way and adapts himself to the Prophet in everything he does by accepting and confirming the fact that the Prophet has been sent by Allah and is always true in his words after thinking over it for a long time has done everything thoughtfully, and he has followed mind in everything. His following each word of the Prophet means to follow mind. If the human mind understands and accepts the existence of something it has also understood and accepted the existence of the parts which issue from that thing and which make up that thing. It does not need to understand the existence of each of the parts by studying, thinking over them one by one. Since it has accepted the existence of that thing after observation, it will be deemed to have accepted all the parts after observation. Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ, Who has blessed us with this right way! If he had not guided us to the right way, none of us could have attained to the right way. All prophets were sent by Allah. We believe that they all said the truth. Our salâm be upon those who are on the right way!

10 - FIRST (4th) VOLUME, 14th LETTER BY QAYYÛM-I RABBÂNÎ MUHAMMAD MA'THÛM FÂRÛQÎ

Informs about how to hold fast to the Sharî'at and about the importance of namâz:

The letter has arrived, which you, remembering this man forgotten in some nook, sent through my brother Mawlânâ Muhammad Hanîf Kâbilî. Reading it, we were very much pleased. And reading about your attachment to Allâhu ta'âlâ, who has no partner or likeness, and about the fact that you have been burning with the fire of His love, we rejoiced all the more. What a great blessing it is if Allâhu ta'âlâ places His love into the heart of a slave of His and burns him with separation from Him, especially during the fitna and zulmat of this latest time! He should appreciate the blessing and be thankful. Incessantly, he should struggle to augment it and hope that the divine love will reach its summit. He should not attach his heart to anything but the real desired One, nor should he busy with useless things. The fire of love burning up the curtain of egoism and self-respect, which originates from the excessiveness and overrunning of the nafs-i ammâra, the heart should be illuminated with the sacred lights of that perfection which is eternal in the past as well as in the future. **"If you are thankful for My blessings I shall increase them,"** He has declared in an âyat.

O my lucky, fortunate brother! Since you have been desiring to walk on the way of Allah's beloved slaves, you should observe the conditions and adabs of the way! First of all, it is necessary to hold fast to the Sunnat-i saniyya and avoid bid'ats. For, these two are the essence of the way that makes one attain Allah's love. You should adapt your deeds, words and moral qualities to the words and books of those pious slaves who know and love Islam. You should be like the pious slaves and love them. Your sleeping, your eating, your talking should be temperate rather than excessive. You should strive to get up by the time of sahar [at the end of each night before imsâk]. You should know it as a great chance to say istighfâr, to weep, to beg Allâhu ta'âlâ at such times. You should long to keep company with the pious. Do not forget the saying: **"One's faith is like one's friend's faith!"** Be it known that those who want the next world [endless bliss] should not be fond of mundane flavours.

If you cannot cease from those flavours which are mubâh (permitted), avoid, at least, the forbidden and dubious ones so that your salvation in the Hereafter may be hoped for. However, it is necessary to pay the zakât of every kind of gold and silver property, of those animals grazing in fields, of commercial goods, and the 'ushr of the crops obtained from land, from fields and from trees. The amounts that are to be given out of them are explained in books of fiqh.

You should pay zakât and fitra willingly to the people prescribed by the Sharî'at. You should visit your relatives, or please their hearts by writing to them. You should observe the rights of your neighbours. You should be charitable to the poor, to those who want to borrow money. You should not spend your property, your money on anything prohibited by the Sharî'at, nor should you waste it on anything permitted. [You should abstain from interest (money charged or paid for the use of money), from any kind of games of chance whether gambling or not. You should not spend your money on games, on harâms, on musical instruments, on adorning yourself, on ostentation, on boasting, or on stocking property.] When these are well cared for, your property will be protected against harm, and what is worldly will be for the Hereafter. And maybe they will no longer be called worldly.

Know that namâz is the pillar of the dîn. A person who performs namâz has put his dîn right. The dîn of a person who does not perform namâz will be demolished. You should perform your prayers of namâz at their mustahab times, suitably with their conditions and adabs. These are explained in books of fiqh. You should perform the prayers of namâz in jamâ'at, try to say the first takbîr together with the imâm, and find a place in the first line. [It is not permissible, if one has come to the mosque rather late, to annoy the assembly by breaking one's way through the lines in order to go up to the first line.] In case you have not observed one of these, you should mourn. When a mature Muslim begins to perform namâz, he sort of goes out of the world. For, very little of the blessing of approaching Allâhu ta'âlâ is attainable in the world. It is, if any, an approaching to the zil, to the shade, to the vision. But the Hereafter is the place for being close to the essence. So, in namâz one goes to the Hereafter and enjoys one's share from the great felicity there. Those who have been thirsty burning with the fire of separation can cool and assuage themselves only with the life-giving water from the fountain of namâz. Only under the tent-flaps of the bride of namâz can those who are paralysed in the sahara of the greatness of the Supreme Being perceive the astounding smell of approaching the beloved one. The Messenger of Allâhu ta'âlâ said, **"When a Believer begins to perform namâz the gates of Paradise will open for him. The curtains between his Allah and him will go up. The hûru'în of Paradise will meet him. This state will go on until the namâz is over."**

Until you find one of the great leaders of this way, utilize your time by reading the Qur'ân, worshipping and reciting the prayers and tasbîhs prescribed in valuable books and hadîths. This faqîr (Hadrat Muhammad Ma'thûm means himself) had gathered some of these prayers, tasbîhs and worships. Mawlânâ Muhammad Hanîf borrowed them. Spend most of your time saying the word **'lâ ilâha il-l-Allah.** ' It is so effective in purifying the heart. It will be good if you keep saying it for a while each day. It can be said without an ablution as well as with an ablution. Deem it as a capital for happiness to love the great leaders of this way. Know that this love is the strongest means for making progress on this way. Translation of a Persian couplet:

I give you the key to the treasure you've been looking for!  
Maybe some day you'll get there, though we haven't heretofore!

May Allâhu ta'âlâ give you and the other travellers of the right way safety and facilities!

[The book **Dürr-i yektâ Şerhi** says that the word **salât** which is commanded in many âyats of the Qur'ân al-kerîm is the prayers which is performed five times a day by doing the specific acts which are commonly known. Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated that salât meant to do some particular acts and to recite some particular prayers, and he himself did so, too. The fact that this is so was taught to the Tabi'în by Ashab-i kirâm; then they taught it to Taba'i tabi'în, and thus these teachings reached us by way of tawâtur through an unbroken chain of scholars throughout the centuries. (Tawâtur means the transmission of a message from mouth to mouth. These tawâtur teachings have spread throughout the world through books written by Ahl as-sunna scholars.) If some heretics and atheists who claim to be shaikhs of mystic orders say to uneducated Muslims, "I have disenthralled you from performing salât. Don't do that from now on," or "The salât commanded by Allâhu ta'âlâ is not getting up and down or reciting particular things. It means to repeat the names of Allâhu ta'âlâ and to think of His greatness," this denial of theirs may mislead Muslims. In this case, it will be a must to kill them by the court's verdict. Once under arrest, the tawba they make will not be valid. A person who denies the salât, that is, who does not believe that salât is a duty, is called a disbeliever. A person who believes that salât is a duty but does not perform it because of indolence is called a fâsiq (sinner). That is, he will have committed a grave sin. He is kept in prison until he begins to perform salât. It will be necessary for him to perform the salâts he has omitted and also make tawba (repentance). The citation from the book **Dürr-i yektâ** ends here.

We should learn how to perform namâz, how to perform the omitted namâz and all other Islamic information from books written by Ahl as-sunnat savants. We should not believe the falsely adorned articles and sweet words of the insidious enemies and the ignorant.

Islam had its shaikh-ul-Islâms, that is, chiefs of religious affairs, and Islamic muftîs. There were also times when there were state officials called muftîs. We should not mistake Islamic muftîs and the officials called muftîs for each other. Islamic muftîs were scholars who communicated the commands and prohibitions of Allâhu ta'âlâ, that is, the Sharî'at. But the officials called muftîs did not themselves know the Sharî'at. When something prohibited by Allâhu ta'âlâ was commanded by the laws they would not say that it was not permissible to do it. If the laws prohibited something commanded by Allâhu ta'âlâ they would not say it was necessary to do it. They would either keep quiet or say something to the contrary. Thus, they themselves would go out of Islam, misguiding Muslims towards sins and disbelief. During those times when the soldiers of Jenghis spread over Muslim countries, ruined mosques and massacred Muslims, during the time of Fâtimîs and Rasûlîs, even during the time of Abbâsîs, such state officials called muftîs said 'permissible' about harâms. They even said that the Qur'ân was a creature. Whereas these state officials called muftîs gave such false fatwâs and caused Islam to be demolished, those who followed books of fiqh and ilmihâl remained on the right way, thus saving their faith.

Fatwâ means to inform if something is suitable with the Sharî'at. It would not be fatwâ to say only that it is 'suitable' or 'not permissible.' It is necessary also to give reference to the book of fiqh wherefrom the answer has been derived, including the concerned part of the book. Those fatwâs which are not suitable with the books of fiqh are wrong. It is not permissible to depend on them. Those who read âyats and hadîths without learning, knowing Islamic teachings and who interpret them in accordance with their own mental capacities and points of view are not called Islamic savants. They may be Arabic-knowing interpreters, like priests in Beirut. No matter how well, ornamentedly and brightly they speak and write, they are no good. Allâhu ta'âlâ does not like or accept words and writings which disagree with rules inferred by Ahl as-sunnat savants or with the books of fiqh written by them.

Ibni Âbidîn, while explaining qâdîs, that is, judges, on the three hundred and first page of its fourth volume, writes, "It is unsuitable for a sinner to be a muftî. Fatwâs given by him are not to be relied on. For, it is one of the matters of the dîn to give fatwâ. A sinner's words in the matters of the dîn are not acceptable. It is so according to the other three Madhhabs, too. It is not permissible to ask such muftîs anything. According to the unanimity [of savants], it is a condition that a muftî should be a Muslim and discreet. A fatwâ given by a just, pious woman or by a dumb person is acceptable. A muftî or a judge should give fatwâs in accordance with Imâm-i azam Abû Hanîfa's word. If he does not find in his words what he has been looking up, he should follow Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf's word. If he does not find it in his words, he should follow Imâm-i Muhammad Shaybânî's word. Next to his comes Imâm-i Zufar's word to be followed, and then comes Hasan bin Ziyâd's word. Those muftîs who are mujtahids in the Madhhab, that is, those who are ashâb-i tarjih, will choose the ones with strong evidences among the ijtihâds. Those who are not mujtahids will follow the judgement preferred by the former. Judgements of the muftîs and judges who do not do so are not acceptable. This means to say that on those matters in which the ashâb-i tarjih have not made a choice it is necessary to follow Imâm-i a'zâm's word. As it is seen, a muftî should be a mujtahid in a Madhhab. He who is not so is not called a muftî but he is called a conveyor, a narrator, he who conveys a fatwâ. The conveyors take the fatwâs from well-known books. These books have the same value as well-known, mutawâtir reports. It is written at the end of the madhbata (protocol) in the preface to **Majalla,** "When there are various ijtihâds for a matter that is not reported clearly by a Nass and how to do which is inferred by ijtihâd, in doing it it is wâjib to follow the ijtihâd which Hadrat Imâm ul-muslimîn commands (us) to follow."]

It is written in the book **Radd-i Wahhâbî** that the meaning of the âyat, **"If you cannot come to an agreement on some matter, learn the truth of that matter from Allah and from Rasûlullah,"** is, "If you cannot come to an agreement on how to do something, the learned ones ['ulamâ] among you must learn how to do it from Allah's book and from Rasûlullah's Sunnat. And the unlearned ones must do it by following the learned ones' inference." As it is seen, this âyat-i kerîma commands us to imitate the imâms of Madhhabs. Ibni Humâm says in the book **Fat'h-ul-Qadîr,** "A muftî has to be a mujtahid. A man of the dîn who is not an 'âlim in the grade of ijtihâd cannot be a muftî. If a non-mujtahid man of the dîn is appointed a muftî, he will have to read and learn and quote the mujtahids' statements." The book **Kifâya** says in the subject of fasting, "When a non-mujtahid man of the dîn hears a hadîth, he cannot act upon his own inference from the hadîth. He has to act upon the fatwâ which the mujtahids gave after learning the matter from âyats and hadîths. If he does not do so he will have disobeyed the wâjib." The same is written in the book **Taqrîr.**

11 - FIRST VOLUME, 303rd LETTER

This letter, written to Muadhdhin Hadji Yûsuf, explains the meaning in the words of the adhân:

First of all, I thank Allâhu ta'âlâ. I pronounce my salât, salâm and benedictions over His beloved Prophet. Be it known that there are seven words in the adhân. [They add up to fifteen by repetition. It is the adhân to pronounce these fifteen words and to hear them. When it is pronounced melodiously through a loud-speaker, these words cannot be heard. In this case, what we hear is a buzzing sound, repetition or something which cannot be understood. So, loud-speakers destroy the adhân, rather than being a means for pronouncing it.]

**1 - ALLÂHU AKBAR:** Allâhu ta'âlâ is the greatest. He needs nothing. He is too great to need the worships of His slaves. Worships give no benefit to Him. In order to settle this important meaning well in minds, the word is repeated four times. [The first and the third r's are recited with jazm or fatha in wasl.]

**2 - ASH'HADU AN LÂ ILÂHA IL-LAL-LAH:** Though He does not need anyone's worship owing to His greatness, I bear witness and certainly believe that none besides Him is worthy of being worshipped. Nothing is like Him.

**3 - ASH'HADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN RASÛLULLAH:** I bear witness and believe that Hadrat Muhammad 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' is the Prophet sent by Him, that he is the communicant of the way of the worships liked by Him, that only worships communicated and shown by him are suitable.

**4-5 - HAYYA 'ALASSALÂH, HAYYA 'ALALFALÂH:** These are the two words inviting the Believers to namâz, which causes happiness and salvation.

**6 - ALLAHU AKBAR:** No one can do the worship worthy of Him. He is so great, so far from anyone's worship being worthy of Him or suitable for Him.

**7 - LÂ ILÂHA IL-LAL-LAH:** He, alone, has the right to be worshipped, to humiliate oneself before. Along with the fact that no one can do the worship worthy of Him, no one besides Him is worthy of being worshipped.

Greatness of the honour in namâz should be understood from the greatness of these words selected to inform everybody with it. Translation of a Persian line:

"The year's prolificity is predictable by the spring."

O Our Allah! For the sake and honour of the Master and the highest of Prophets 'alaihi wa alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât', include us among those who perform namâz as you like them to and who will thus be rescued from Thine torment! Âmîn.

[In the section on the sûra of **Inshirâh,** the tafsîr of Sâwî quotes, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ said, 'I will exalt your name in the East, in the West and everywhere on the globe.' "** When a distance of a longitude is travelled towards the west, the time of each namâz comes four minutes later. At the end of every 28 kilometers towards the west, the adhân of the same namâz is repeated with an interval of one minute. Thus, the adhân is called in every place of the world every moment, and Muhammad's 'alaihissalâm' name is heard everywhere. It is written in the explanation of **Shir'at-ul-Islâm,** "When somebody came to Hadrat Abdullah ibn 'Umar and said, 'I like you very much for Allah's sake,' he answered, 'And for Allah's sake I don't like you at all, because you call the adhân melodiously like singing.' "]

12 - IMPORTANCE OF NAMÂZ

It is written at the beginning of the chapter about namâz in the book **Durr-ul-mukhtâr,** which Ibni Âbidîn explains as follows in his **Radd-ul-muhtâr:**

Since Hadrat Adam, each sharî'at had had one namâz in it, once each day. Those which had been performed by all of them, being gathered together, were made fard for us to perform. It is not one of the conditions of îmân to perform namâz, yet it is a condition to believe that it is fard to perform namâz. Namâz means prayer. The worship commanded by the Sharî'at, as we all know, has been called namâz (salât). It **is fard-i 'ayn** for every Muslim who is liable [discreet and has reached the age of puberty] to perform namâz five times a day. It is communicated clearly in the Qur'ân and in hadîths that it is fard. Namâz five times each day became fard on the Night of Mi'râj. Mi'râj was one year before the Hegira, and on the twenty-seventh night of the blessed Rajab month. Before Mi'râj, namâz had been being performed in mornings and afternoons only.

It is necessary to command a seven-year-old child to perform namâz and to beat it with the hand if it does not perform it when it is ten years old. Also, a teacher in school may beat the child three times with his hand in order to make it study. He cannot beat it more than that, nor can he thrash it with a stick. [There cannot be bastinadoes in Islamic schools. Flogging is practised in police-stations or prisons. If the enemies of Islam, in order to estrange young people from Islam, show in dramas and motion pictures how the khodjas used to bastinado their pupils and say that with the abrogation of religious lessons and the closing of Islamic schools the youth were rescued from the bastinado, from being flogged, they will have slandered the Islamic dîn. It is written clearly in Islamic books that Islam has prohibited beating pupils with sticks. Our Prophet strictly prohibited beating the child even with the hand more than three times.] Children at this age should be taught and accustomed to doing other kinds of worships, too, and should be prohibited from sinning.

In order to express the importance of the prayers of namâz that are fard, Hadrat Muhammad Rabhâmî wrote in the twelfth paragraph of the first chapter of the second part of his Persian book entitled **Riyâd-un-nâsikhîn,** which he published in India by selecting from four hundred and forty-four books in the eight hundred and fifty-third [853] year of the Hegira.

In the two fundamental books of the Islamic dîn **[Bukhârî** and **Muslim** ], which are called Sahîhayn, Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' declares in a hadîth quoted by Jâbir bin Abdullah 'rahmatullâhi alaih' **: "If there is a river in front of someone's house and if he bathes in the river five times each day, will there be any dirt left on him?"** "No, O Rasûlallah!" we said. **"Likewise, the small sins of those who perform namâz five times each day will be pardoned."** [Upon hearing this hadîth some ignoramuses say, "Then, I shall both perform namâz and live as I wish. In any case, my sins will be pardoned." It is not good to think so. For, a namâz that has been performed observing its conditions and adabs and which has been accepted will shake off the sins. Furthermore, even if one's small sins are pardoned, it will be a grave sin to go on committing small sins. And it will cause disbelief to insist on doing grave sins.] Ibni Jawzî says in his explanatory book named **Almughnî,** "Hadrat Abû Bakr Siddîq 'radiyallâhu anh' said that when the time for each of the five prayers of namâz comes angels say: 'O the Sons of Adam, get up! Perform namâz to extinguish the fire which has been prepared to burn people.' "A hadîth declares: **"The difference distinguishing the Believer from the disbeliever is namâz."** In other words, a Believer will perform namâz, but a disbeliever will not. And munâfiqs perform namâz sometimes, and sometimes they do not. Munâfiqs will be tormented very bitterly in Hell. Abdullah bin Abbâs, the shah of mufassirs, says, "I heard Rasûlullah say, **'Those who do not perform namâz will find Allâhu ta'âlâ angry on the Day of Resurrection.' "**

Savants of hadîth say unanimously, "A person who omits one namâz on purpose, that is, who does not feel sorry for not performing the namâz as its due time goes past, becomes a disbeliever, or he dies without îmân at last. This being the case, what will become of those who never think of namâz and who do not even consider it as a duty?" Savants of the Ahl as-sunnat unanimously said, "Worships are not parts of îmân." But there was not unanimity on namâz. Of the savants of fiqh, Imâm-i Ahmad ibni Hanbal, Is'hâq ibni Râhawaih, Abdullah ibni Mubârak, Ibrâhim Nahâî, Hakam bin Utayba, Ayyûb Sakhtiyânî, Dâwûd Tâî, Abû Bakr ibni Shayba, Zubayr bin Harb and many other great savants said that a person who omitted one namâz on purpose would become a disbeliever. Now, o my brother-in-Islam, do not omit even one namâz, nor perform it slackly; do it willingly! What will you do if Allâhu ta'âlâ punishes in the next world in accordance with the ijtihâd of these savants? It is written in **Tafsir-î Mughnî,** "One of our superiors asked the Devil, 'I want to be accursed like you; what should I do?' Being happy the Devil said, 'If you want to be like me, slight the namâz, take an oath on whatever you say whether it is true or false, that is, swear often.' So the great person said that he would never omit any namâz or swear." In the Hanbalî Madhhab, if a person omits any prayer of namâz without any excuse, he will be killed like an apostate, he will not be washed or wrapped in a shroud, nor will the janâza namâz for him be performed. He will not be buried in a Muslim cemetery, nor will his grave be marked off. He will be put in some ditch in the mountains. In the Shâfi'î Madhhab, he who insists on not performing namâz does not become an apostate, but his punishment is death. It is written in **Ibni Âbidîn** and on the sixty-third page of the translation of **Milal-Nihal** that the Mâlikî Madhhab is like Shâfi'î in this respect. And in the Hanafî Madhhab, he will be imprisoned until he begins to perform namâz again, or he will be thrashed till blood comes out of his body. [But a person who slights namâz and who does not recognize it as a duty becomes a disbeliever in any of the four madhhabs. It is written in the chapter about the disasters incurred by the tongue in **Al-Hadîqa** that a person who omits a namâz on purpose, who does not think of performing it later, and who does not fear that he will be tormented for this, will become a disbeliever in the Hanafî Madhhab, too.] Allâhu ta'âlâ did not command non-Muslims to perform namâz or to fast. They have not been honoured with being commanded by Allâhu ta'âlâ. They will not be punished for not performing namâz or for not fasting. They have deserved one thing only: Hell, which is the punishment for disbelief. The book **Zâdul-muqwîn** writes, "It was written by the early savants that he who does not do five things will be deprived of five other things:

1 - He who does not give the zakât of his property will not benefit from his property.

2 - He who does not give the 'ushr (a kind of zakât) will not get barakat, use from his field, from his earnings.

3 - He who does not give alms will not be healthy.

4 - He who does not pray will not get what he wishes.

5 - He who does not want to perform namâz when the time for namâz comes will not be able to say the kalima-i shahâdat as he dies. He who does not perform namâz because of indolence, although he believes that to perform it is the first duty, is a fâsiq. He is not kufw for a pious girl. In other words, he is not worthy of or suitable for (marrying) the girl."

As it is seen, not to perform namâz causes one to die without îmân. Continuing to perform namâz is a means for filling the heart with nûrs and attaining to endless bliss. Our Prophet declared, **"Namâz is a nûr."** That is, it brightens the heart in the world and enlightens the Sirât in the Hereafter. Do you know what happens to Allah's lovers in namâz and how in namâz they attain their desires?

A story: Abdullah bin Tâhir, governor of Khorasan, was very just. One day, his gendarmes reported to the governor that they had caught some thieves. One of the thieves escaped. A blacksmith from Hirât who had gone to Nishâbûr was arrested, instead, as he was going back home one night. Together with the thieves they took him up to the governor, who then commanded them to be imprisoned. In the prison, the blacksmith made an ablution and performed namâz. Holding his hands out, he invoked, "O my Allah! You alone know that I am innocent. You alone can rescue me from this dungeon. O Allah! Save me!" That night the governor dreamt of four strong people, who came up to him and were about to turn his throne upside down, when he woke up. Immediately, he made an ablution and performed a namâz of two rak'ats. He went back to sleep. Again he dreamt that the four persons were about to overturn his throne, and woke up. He realised that he had been doing injustice to someone who in turn had been invoking against him. As a matter of fact, the poet says:

Thousands of cannons and rifles can never do  
What tears will do in the early morning.

The enemy-frightening spears are often  
Pulverized by a Believer's praying.

O our Allah! Thou only art great! And Thou art so great that the great as well as the small beg only Thee when they are in trouble. Only he who begs Thee will attain his desire.

That very night he summoned the prison manager and asked him if there was anyone who was unjustly put in there. The prison manager said, "I couldn't know. But there is somebody who is performing namâz and saying prayers very much. He is weeping, too." Upon this, he had the blacksmith brought to him. Asking him and then learning what was wrong, he apologized and begged, "Forgive me, please, and do accept these thousand silver coins as my gift upon you. Whenever you desire anything, whatsoever, just come to me!" The blacksmith said, "I have forgiven you and will accept your present. But I cannot come to you to ask for my wish." When asked why, he said, "Would it become me as a born slave to present my wishes to someone else, abandoning my Owner, Who has several times overturned the throne of such a sultan as you for the sake of such a poor person as me? Upon the prayers which I sent after my namâz, He rescued me from many problems. He enabled me to attain many a desire. How could I ever trust myself to someone else? My Allah opened the door of the treasure of Infinite Mercy. He set His endless table of gifts in front of everybody. How could I go to someone else despite these? Who on earth asked from Him and wasn't given? Who on earth came to Him and then went back empty-handed? If you don't know how to ask, you will not obtain. If you do not enter His presence in due manner, you will not get His compassion." A poem:

If anyone puts his head on worship's threshold for one night,

The Darling's favour will for certain open up for him a thousand ways.

When Râbia-i Adwiyya, one of the great Awliyâ, heard somebody praying, "O my Allah! Open for me the gate to Thine mercy!" she said to him, "O you ignoramus! Has the gate to Allah's Mercy been closed up to now so that you want it to be opened?"[]

O our Allah! Thou, alone, rescues everyone from hardships. Do not leave us in disasters, neither in this world nor in the one to come! Thou, alone, sends everything to the needy! Send us those things which are useful in this world and in the next! Make us need none [but Thee] in this world and the next! Âmîn. Translation from **Riyâd-un-nasikhîn** ends here.

It is written at the beginning of the chapter about namâz in **Kitâb-ul-fiqh-alal-madhâhib-il-arba'a,** "Namâz is the most important of the pillars of the Islamic dîn. Allâhu ta'âlâ made namâz a fard so that His slaves will worship Him only. The hundred and second âyat of **Nisâ Sûra** means, **'It has become fard to perform namâz at certain times.'** A hadîth-î sherîf declares: **'Allâhu ta'âlâ has promised that He shall put in Paradise the person who performs namâz respectfully and observing the conditions five times every day.'** Namâz is the most valuable of worships. A hadîth-i sherîf declares: **'Person who does not perform namâz has not had a share from Islam.'** Another hadîth-i sherîf, which is quoted in **Mishkât,** in **Kunûz-ud-daqâiq** and in the **Sahîhayn,** declares: ' **The difference between man and disbelief is to omit namâz.'** Its meaning is not that 'Man and disbelief are two separate beings. Between them is not performing namâz. When (the case of) not performing namâz goes away from between them, that is, if a person performs namâz, there will no longer be a curtain between this person and disbelief. The two will come together.' Its meaning is, 'Disbelief is an attribute. It does not exist by itself. It exists in a person. A person who has disbelief also has "not performing namâz." A person who does not have disbelief does not have not performing namâz. The difference between a person who has disbelief and one who does not have disbelief is to perform namâz or not.' This hadîth-i sherîf is like the saying, 'The difference between man and death is not to breathe.' A person who has death does not breathe. A person who does not have death does not have (the case of) not breathing. If a person has (the case of) not breathing, it will be understood that he is dead. This hadîth-i sherîf vehemently threatens those who are too lazy to perform namâz. To perform namâz is to consider the greatness of Allâhu ta'âlâ and to realize one's own inferiority before Him. A person who realizes this will always do good. He will never do evil. Even if the namâz of a person who follows his nafs is sahîh, it will never give its fruits. If a person intends to be in the presence of his Rabb (Allah) five times every day, his heart will be filled with ikhlâs. Every act commanded to be done in namâz gives various benefits to the heart and body. Performing namâz in jamâ'at in mosques will attach Muslims' hearts to one another. It will bring about love between them. They will realize that they are brothers. The seniors will be affable with the juniors. And the juniors will be respectful to the seniors. The rich will be helpful to the poor, and the powerful to the weak. The healthy will visit the sick in their homes as they will miss them in the mosque. For being blessed with the glad tidings given in the hadîth, **'Allah is the helper of a person who runs to help his brother-in-Islam,'** they will race one another."

A hadîth in the book **Qurratul-uyûn** declares: **"Allâhu ta'âlâ will give fifteen different troubles to the person who neglects namâz without any excuse. Of these, six are in the world, three are at the time of death, three in the grave, and three during the resurrection from the grave. The six troubles in the world are:**

1 - There will not be abundance in the life of a person who does not perform namâz.

2 - He will not have the beauty, the geniality peculiar to those whom Allâhu ta'âlâ loves.

**3 - He will not be given thawâb for any of his favours.** [This hadîth shows that those who do not perform the fard worships within their prescribed times will not be given thawâb for their sunnat worships. That is, their sunnats will not be accepted.]

4 - His prayers will not be accepted.

5 - No one will like him.

6 - Muslims' prayers for him will do him no good.

The troubles which he will suffer when dying are:

1 - He will die in a contemptible, bad and disgusting way.

2 - He will die hungry.

3 - However much water he drinks, he will die suffering thirst.

The disasters which he will suffer in grave are:

1 - The grave will squeeze him. His bones will intertwine.

2 - His grave will be filled with fire, which will burn him day and night.

3 - Allâhu ta'âlâ will send a big serpent to his grave. It is unlike worldly serpents. It will sting him at each time of namâz every day. It will never let him rest.

The torments which he will suffer in the next world are:

1 - The angels of torment which will drag him to Hell will not leave him alone.

2 - Allahu ta'âlâ will meet him wrathfully.

3 - His accounting will be very hard, and he will be hurled into Hell."

13 - FIRST VOLUME, 312th LETTER

This letter, written to answer the questions asked by Mîr Muhammad Nu'mân 'quddisa sirruh', informs that it is not good to raise one's finger when sitting in namâz:

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ, Who creates all classes of beings, all creatures, Who keeps them in existence, and Who sends them what they need! Salât, salâm and benedictions be over the highest of Prophets, Muhammad Mustafa 'alaihissalâtu wassalâm', to his brother Prophets, to angels and to those who are honoured with following him! The valuable letter which you sent through Molla Mahmûd has arrived and made us happy. You ask:

Question 1 - Savants say that the place called Rawda-i mubâraka is more valuable than Mekka city. However, Hadrat Muhammad's figure and essence prostrate themselves before the shape and essence of Ka'ba-i mu'azzama. How could the **Rawda-i mubâraka** ever be higher?

[In the mosque of Medina, the twenty-six-metre-long place between Rasûlullah's 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' blessed grave and the minbar, which the mosque at that time had is called **Rawda-i mutahhara.** Rawda means garden. The blessed minbar at that time had three steps and was one metre high. It was burned completely in the fire of 654. Various minbars were made at various times, and today's twelve-staired minbar was sent by (the Ottoman) Sultan Murâd Khan III from Istanbul in 998 Hijri.]

Answer 1 - My Dear Sir! According to this faqîr (Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî means himself), the most valuable place on the earth is Ka'ba-i Mu'azzama [together with the mosque around it which is called **Masjid-i harâm** ]. Next comes the **Rawda-i muqaddasa,** which is in Medina. Thirdly comes the blessed city of Mekka. This means to say that it will be correct to say that the Rawda-i Mutahhara is higher than Mekka.

Question 2 - Does a Muslim in the Hanafî Madhhab raise his index finger while sitting in namâz? Mawlânâ 'Alîmullah wrote a booklet on this subject. I send it to you. What do you say on this matter?

Answer 2 - My Dear Sir! There are many hadîths saying that it is permissible to make a sign with one's index finger. Some of the savants of the Hanafî Madhhab have said so, too. Mawlânâ 'Alîmullah states so, too. If the books in the Hanafî Madhhab are read with attention, it wil be seen that the pieces of knowledge communicating that it is permissible to raise one's finger are not from the **knowledge of usûl.** They are not the madhhab's **zâhir khabars.** Imâm-i Muhammad Shaybânî said, "Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' used to make a sign with his blessed finger. Like him, we, too, raise and lower our finger. Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa said so, too." But it has been communicated through **nawâdir** information, not through **usûl** information, that Imâm-i Muhammad said so.

[Ibni Âbidin writes on the forty-seventh page of his first volume, "Information of the Hanafî Madhhab reached the later savants through three different ways:

1 - Those pieces of information which are **usûl** are also called zâhir khabars. These are the pieces of information coming from Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa and his disciples. These pieces of information are communicated in Imâm-i Muhammad's six books. These six books are **Al-Mabsût, Az-Ziyâdât, Al-Jâmi'ussaghîr, As-Siyarus saghîr, Al-Jâmi'ulkabîr** and **As-Siyarulkabîr.** Because these books were brought from Imâm-i Muhammad by trustworthy people, they are called **zâhir khabars.** Who gathered the pieces of usûl information together first is Hâkim Shahîd [Muhammad]. His book Kâfî is well-known. There are many books explaining **Kâfî**.

2 - Those pieces of information that are **nawâdir,** also come from these same savants. But these pieces of information do not exist in those six books, but they exist in Imâm-i Muhammad's other books titled **Al-Qisâniyyât, Al-Hârûniyyât, Al-Jurjâniyyât** and **Ar-Ruqiyyât.** Because these four books were not brought clearly and dependably as the former six books were, these pieces of information are called 'information which is not zâhir.' Or they are reported in others' books. For example, they are reported in the book **Muharrar** by Hasan bin Ziyâd, one of Imâm-i a'zam's disciples, or in Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf's **Amâlî.**

3 - Those pieces of information which are wâqi'ât. These pieces of information were not communicated by the three imâms, but are those matters on which their disciples or the disciples of their disciples performed ijtihâd. Abullays-i Semmerqandî who gathered these pieces of information first, wrote the book **Nawâzil."**

Ibni Âbidîn, again, writes on the thirty-fifth page of his first volume, "The knowledge of fiqh is as indispensable for everybody as food is. Abdullah ibni Mas'ûd 'radiyallâhu anh', who sowed the seeds of this knowledge, was one of the greatest and best learned ones of the Sahâba. Alqama, his disciple, watered these seeds and turned them into crops, and Ibrâhim Nahâî, his disciple, reaped the harvest, that is, gathered the pieces of this knowledge together. Hammâd-i Kûfî threshed it, and his disciple, Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa, ground it, that is, he classified the knowledge into sections; Abû Yûsuf made dough from it, and Imâm-i Muhammad baked it. Muslims have been eating the morsels prepared in this procedure. In other words, learning this knowledge they have been attaining happiness in this world and the next. Imâm-i Muhammad communicated these morsels which he baked in nine hundred and ninety-nine branches of knowledge to his disciples. Of his six books, in the ones which he called saghîr (little), he communicated what he learned through Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf, and, in those which he called kabîr, he communicated only what he heard from Imâm-i a'zam." It is for this reason that the book **Siyar-i kabîr,** which is a work of Imâm-i Muhammad's, does not contain Imâm-i Ebû Yûsuf's name. Today, some ignorant people who do not know of this subtle information impute this to his antipathy against Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf. However, these two imâms were in the highest grade of hubb-i fillâh. Even those who follow in their footsteps get rid of the desires of their nafs owing to them.]

The book **Fatâwâ-i gharâib** informs that it is written in the book **Muhît** : "Imâm-i Muhammad did not communicate in his books of usûl that one must make a sign with the pointing finger of one's right hand. Also, those savants who succeeded him said differently on the subject. There were those who said that one should not as well as those who said that one should. Imâm-i Muhammad, in his books other than books of usûl, writes that the Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' used to make a sign with his finger and communicates that Imâm-i a'zam also informed of this fact. As it is said that it is sunnat to make a sign, there are those who say that it is mustahab." The book **Fatâwâ-i gharâib** then adds: "In actual fact, it is harâm to do so."

It is written in **Fatâwâ-i sirâjiyya** , "It is makrûh to raise the finger when saying 'ash hadu an lâ...' in namâz. The book **Kubrâ** affirms this. Savants agree about this. The fatwâ has been given in agreement with this, too. For, it is necessary to sit calmly, without moving in namâz."

It is written in the book of fatwâ titled **Ghiyâsiyya** [as well as in the book **Bezzâziyya]** , "One should not make a sign with one's pointing finger during the sitting posture. This is what the fatwâ says. And this is what has been preferred, liked."

It is written in the book **Jâmî'ur-rumûz.** "One should not make a sign or bend one's finger. This is so according to the teachings of usûl of the Madhhab. It is written so in Zâhidî's book, too. The fatwâ also has been given in agreement with this. Also, it is written so in the books **Mudmarât, Walwaljiyya, Khulâsa** and others. Some of our superiors, on the other hand, state that it is sunnat to make a sign with the finger."

[The book **Jâmi'ur-rumûz** is an explanation of the book **Nikâya** , which, in its turn, is an abridged edition of the book **Wikâya**. The book **Mudmarât** is an explanation of the book **Qudûrî.** ]

The book **Hazînaturriwâyât** , citing from the book **Tâtârhâniyya** , says, "While sitting for the tashahhud and saying 'lâ ilâha il-lal-lah,' will the pointing finger of the right hand make a sign? Imâm-i Muhammad did not mention this in the information of usûl. Those who came after him said differently on this matter. Some savants said that one should not make a sign. So does the book **Kubrâ** write. The fatwâ agrees with this, too. Yet some others said that one should make a sign."

**Hazînat-urriwâyât** is a book of fiqh written by the Qâdî of Gujarât in India. **Kubrâ,** a book of fatwâ, was written by Husâmaddîn 'Umar. It is written in **Durr-ul-mukhtâr,** "One should not make a sign with one's pointing finger when saying the word of shahâdat in namâz. The fatwâ says so. It is written so in **Walwaljiyya** , in **Tajnis,** in **Umdatulmuftî,** and in all the books of fatwâ. But those who annotated these books, such as Kamâl, Halabî, Bâqânî, say, 'One will make a sign. As a matter of fact, Imâm-i Muhammad informed that Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' used to do so.' Also, it is written in the book **Muhît** that it is sunnat to make a sign." Ibni Âbidîn says, "It is understood from **Muhît** that it is sunnat-i ghayr-i muakkada. As a matter of fact, **Aynî** and **Tuhfa** inform that it is mustahab." In the book **Nûr-ul-izâh,** Sharnblâlî says, "What is sahîh is to make a sign with one's pointing finger," and **Tahtâwî** objects to this.

As it is seen, there are savants who say that it is harâm to make the sign. There are fatwâs informing that it is makrûh. There are many who say that one does not make the sign; information of usûl states so. Then, it is not right for us, the imitators, to attempt to make the sign by saying that there is a hadîth confirming it, thus doing something which has been said to be harâm or makrûh by the fatwâs of many mujtahids. If a person in the Hanafî Madhhab makes the sign with his finger despite the fatwâs informing that it is prohibited, this denotes one of two opinions: 1 - It may come to mean that he thinks these savants of dîn who reached the grade of ijtihâd did not know of the mashhûr hadîths informing that one will make the sign with one's finger. 2 \- Or it means that he thinks that they heard of the hadîths but did not follow the hadîths and acted upon their own thoughts and opinions. Both these opinions are quite eccentric. To suppose so, one should be very mean and quite obstinate. Also, the word, "Early savants used to make a sign with their fingers in namâz. Afterwards, Râfidîs overflowed the measure in doing this, so the savants of Hanafî prohibited the Ahl as-sunnat from making the sign. Thus, the Sunnîs were distinguished from the Râfidîs," in the book **Targhibussalât,** is incompatible with the information in valuable books. For, our savants inform through (the branch of religious knowledge termed) zâhir usûl not to make the sign or bend the finger. That is, the early savants said not to make the sign. Then, this matter has nothing to do with the Râfidîs. Since some of our religious superiors said that one should not make the sign, what devolves on us is to respect them, to mind our manners and say: "If these superiors had not had the documentary evidence showing that it would be harâm or makrûh to make a sign with the finger, they would not say that it would be harâm or makrûh. After communicating the reports informing that it is sunnat or mustahab to make the sign, they would not say, 'Though they have said so, the truth of the matter is that the sign is harâm.' This means that maybe they inferred that not those pieces of information communicating that the sign was sunnat or mustahab, but those evidences showing that it was prohibited were right." In short, we ignorant people having heard a few hadîths cannot be a witness or a document. It cannot be a reason for our refuting the words of the superiors of the dîn. One may say, "We now have obtained the information showing that what they inferred was wrong." Yet the information which we ignorant people have cannot be a witness for something to be halâl or harâm. Something can be halâl or harâm only after a mujtahid's determining it to be so. It would be critically daring to consider mujtahids' words and evidences to be more flimsy than a spider's web. It would be to inflict a deep wound on Islam to hold one's own knowledge superior to the knowledge of the superiors of the dîn, to say that the usûl information of the Hanafî Madhhab is corrupt and unsound, to hold of no account the valuable information which the savants depend upon in giving fatwâ and to say that this information is wrong. Islam's great savants, being closer to the brilliant time of Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', their knowledge being very much more than that of those who came after them, and because they avoided sins and feared Allâhu ta'âlâ to the greatest extent, would know and understand the hadîths certainly better than we addle-headed and ignorant people do, who know nothing of knowledge of the dîn and who boast of a few words which we heard in the name of knowledge. They would distinguish the right ones from the wrong ones, the changed ones from the unchanged ones better than we can. Certainly, they must have had some reasons for saying that these hadîths should not be followed, and there must have been some sound witnesses which they depended upon. We, who are so inferior to them in knowledge and in sight, understand to the extent that there are various hadîths explaining how to bend the finger, but they do not agree with one another. This incoherence among the (reported) hadîth-i-sherîfs has made it difficult to say something definite on whether or not to make the sign. Some reports say that the sign should be made without bending fingers into the form of a fist, while others say that it should be made by bending them likewise. Some of those who say that fingers should be bent inform that it should be done by representing the figure as fifty-three. And others say that they will be bent in such a manner as to represent the figure twenty-three. [While explaning these, **Halabî** decribes at full length how to show figures with the fingers.] Some other reports say that one should close one's two little fingers on the right, form a circle with one's thumb and middle finger and make the sign with one's pointing finger. Another report says that the sign will be made by putting one's thumb on one's middle finger. Some narration says that the sign should be made by putting one's right hand on one's left thigh and one's left hand on one's right foot. Another report says that the sign will be made by putting the right hand, together with the wrist and the arm, on the left hand, wrist and arm. To some reports, the sign will be made by closing all the fingers, while others inform that it will be made without moving the pointing finger. In addition to these, it is said that the sign will be made during the tahiyyât, but not a certain place is given, and, in some other information, it is said that the sign will be made when saying the word shahâdat. And some other reports inform that when sitting to pray one should say, "O My Allah, Thou canst change the hearts as Thou wilt! Keep my heart steady in Thine dîn!" and make the sign while saying so.

The savants of the Hanafî Madhhab, seeing that the hadîths uttered on the sign were numerous and various, said not to do any action incompatible with the clear and definite commandments about namâz. For, it is essential in namâz to avoid any extra movements and to perform it in a solemn attitude. Furthermore, as it is declared by all the savants unanimously, it is sunnat to do one's best to keep one's fingers pointing towards the qibla all the time. It is ordered openly by the hadîth: **"During namâz do your best to keep all your limbs pointing towards the Qibla!"**

Should it be suggested, "Those hadîths having been uttered differently will make the matter difficult only when they cannot be reconciled with one another. But a common rule can be deduced from these hadîths. For, various hadîths may have been heard and reported at different times," we would say in response that many of these reports contain the word 'kâna' (was), which comes to mean 'all,' in the branches of knowledge other than logic. For this reason, these various reports cannot be reconciled.

Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa said, "If you learn a hadîth which disagrees with my word, give up my word and follow the hadîth;" yet this statement of his was about those hadîths which he had not heard. He meant to say, 'Give up any of my words which disagrees with a hadîth that I have not heard.' However, the hadîths about making the sign are not so; they are well-known, they are widespread. It cannot be said that Imâm-i a'zam might have not heard them. [Imâm-i a'zam said so to his own disciples, that is, to mujtahids, not to us ignorant people.]

In case of a question such as, "Among the savants of the Hanafî, there are also those who said that the sign should be made and who gave a fatwâ in agreement with this. Do we not have the choice to follow any one of the fatwâs disagreeing with one another?"

We would answer that when the disagreement between fatwâs is in the manner of 'permissible, not permissible, or halâl, harâm,' it is essential to follow those fatwâs which say 'not permissible or harâm.'

Ibni Humâm says, "Seeing the variety of hadîths disagreeing with one another on whether or not to raise the finger, we have to follow the hadîths saying that the finger should not be moved, since it is necessary to sit motionless in namâz!" Any amount of surprise would be less than Ibnî Humâm causes. In his book he says, "The majority of savants said that the sign must not be made; this word of theirs is incompatible with hadîths and with mind!" thus accusing the great Islamic savants of ignorance, who were in the grade of ijtihâd and qiyâs. As a matter of fact, qiyâs is the zâhir and usûl information in the Hanafî Madhhab and is the fourth of the adilla-i shar'iyya. How can one ever speak ill of ijtihâd? Seeing the maniness of the reports disagreeing with one another, the same person says that the hadîth about qullatayn in the chapter on kinds of clean water also is da'îf.

My wise and mature son, Muhammad Sa'îd, is now writing a booklet about making the sign with the finger. When it is completed I will, inshâallah, send you a copy. I send my salâm and prayers to those being with you.

[It is written on the hundred and twenty-sixth page of the explanation of **Shir'ât-ul-Islâm** that the book **Hidâya** says that one must make the sign with one's finger. Imâm-i Hulwânî 'rahimahullah' says so, too. It is also said that one must not make the sign. The fatwâ also agrees with this. For, it is necessary to keep motionless (during the standing positions and sitting postures as well as during and between the sajdas and the rukû') in namâz. Reports called wâqi'ât state so, too.

In the fatwâ of Abussu'ûd, which is in the library of Murâd Mulla:

**Question -** Which is better, to raise one's finger or not to do so during namâz?

**Answer -** They have said that both are good. Yet, obviously, it is better not to raise the finger.]

The book **Al-fiqhu alal-madhâhib-il-arba'a** says, "In the Mâlikî Madhhab, during a safar, under heavy rain, in dark and muddy places, on Arafa and Muzdalifa, early afternoon and late afternoon prayers of namâz, as well as evening and night prayers of namâz, are conjoined, that is, those pairs of salâts are performed at the same time, respectively. It is permissible for the safar to be of less than three days [80 km.]. Jam', that is, conjoining these pairs of namâz, (that is, performing the early and late afternoon prayers or the evening and night prayers one immediately after the other within the time prescribed for either one of them), is not permissible during journeys made by sea. On days with heavy rain and mud, it is permissible to perform the night salât in the mosque in jama'at (congregation) immediately after the evening salât. But the salât of witr is performed in its original time. In the Shâfi'î Madhhab the destination should be at least 80 km. away so that you can conjoin these pairs of salâts.

In the Hanbalî Madhhab, jam' is permissible in cases such as having set out on a journey and having the excuses written in the fourth fascicle of **Endless Bliss.** Also, it is permissible to conjoin the night salât with the evening salât at home in winter when the weather is cold, rainy, stormy, and muddy. When performing the two salâts jointly, that is, when making jam', the sunnat salâts are not performed. The intention for jam' is done at the beginning of the first salât. Those Muslims who are not able to perform their early and late afternoon salâts and evening salâts in their prescibed times because of the unsuitable working hours or office hours should not quit their jobs, but they should make jam' of the late afternoon salât with the early afternoon salât, and the evening salât with the night salât by imitating the Hanbalî Madhhab. Resigning from your position would mean to abet the persecutions and infidelities that might be perpetrated by the person who would take your place. The fards for an ablution in the Hanbalî Madhhab are six: washing the face together with the interior of the mouth and the interior of the nose, intention, washing the arms, rubbing the whole head, rubbing the ears including the exterior skin of the ears. (The hair hanging down is not rubbed. In the Mâlikî Madhhab, the hair hanging down is rubbed, too.) Washing the feet including the bones on the sides, washing the limbs in sequence (tartîb), washing them in haste are all fards. Touching a woman lustfully or touching one's own penis breaks one's ablution. If a woman touches a man, the man's ablution will not be broken even if he feels lust. Anything coming out of the skin, if it is in a considerable amount, breaks the ablution. Eating camel meat breaks an ablution. Reasons for excusability ('udhr) are the same as those in the Hanafî Madhhab. In a ghusl, it is fard to wash inside the mouth, inside the nose, the hair, and for men to undo their tressed hair. As for women, it is sunnat to undo their plaited hair for a ghusl which is made for purification from junub (canonical impurity), and it is fard if the ghusl is made for purification when the menstruation is over. Two other practices that are fard are to sit as long as the time of tashahhud in namâz (during the sitting posture) and to make salâm to both sides (when the final sitting posture in namâz is over)."

14 - SECOND VOLUME, 20th LETTER

This letter, written to Tâhir Badahshî, conveys the virtues in namâz, its arkân (precepts) and conditions, sunnats, adabs and ta'dîl-i arkân:

May hamd-u-thanâ be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Salâmat to the good people whom He loves! The letter which you sent from Junpur has arrived here. We are sorry to know that you have been ill. We are awaiting the news informing of your recovery. Send us the letter informing of your recovery by those who will come here. Work hard for your task! Write to us about the hâls which you will be experiencing! O My Dear Brother! This world is the place for work. The next world is the place for getting wages. Strive to do pious actions! The most useful of these actions, the most superior worship is to perform namâz. Namâz is the archstone of the dîn. It is the mi'râj for Believers. Then, one should do one's best to perform it well. One should observe its precepts, its conditions, its sunnats and adabs in a manner liked and suitable. When performing namâz, one should be careful about its tumânînat [keeping all one's limbs motionless in rukû (bowing during namâz), in sajda (prostration), in qawma (standing for a while after straightening up from the bowing position), in jalsa (sitting for a while between the two sajdas), and about the ta'dîl-i- arkân (to remain motionless for a while after becoming calm at these four places)]. Many people, paying no attention to these, have been ruining their prayers of namâz. They have been neglecting the tumânînat and the ta'dîl-i arkân. It was informed that they will be tormented. When namâz is performed correctly the hope of salvation will increase. For, the archstone of the dîn will then have been erected. The plane to fly to endless bliss will have been boarded.

15 - SECOND VOLUME, 87th LETTER

This letter, written to Fat'h Khan of Afghanistan, explains the ta'dîl-i arkân, and says to hold fast to the Sharî'at and to abstain from bid'ats:

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Safety and solace to the good people whom He has chosen and loved! Your blessed letter has arrived here, which informs of your worthy love and sincere attachment towards this faqîr. May Allâhu ta'âlâ place in our hearts the love of the great! What we would first advise our fortunate and dear friends of is to hold fast to the sunnat-i saniyya of Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa 'alaihissalâtu wassalâm'. In other words, each Muslim's first duty is to obey the Sharî'at and refrain from the things which the Sharî'at dislikes, from the bid'ats.

If a person uncovers an abandoned, forgotten sunnat, he will get the thawâb of a hundred martyrs. Then, just imagine how much thawâb there is in resuscitating a fard or wâjib. Therefore, one should be careful about the ta'dîl-i-arkân when performing namâz. In other words, at the rukû, at the sajda, at the qawma and at the jalsa, each limb should become motionless and remain so for a while; most of the savants of the Hanafî said that this was wâjib. Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf and Imâm-i Shâfi'î said that it was fard. The majority of Muslims have been neglecting this. A person who reveals this one deed will be given much more thawâb than that which is given to a hundred martyrs who have fought and given their lives in the way of Allah. This same rule applies to all the rules of the Sharî'at. That is, a person who teaches one of the halâls, harâms, makrûhs, fards, wâjibs and sunnats and has it obeyed will get the same amount of thawâb.

Returning one cent to its owner which has been extorted unjustly, by violence and without any reason from a person, deserves far more thawâb than giving hundreds of dollars as alms. It has been reported that if a person does the worships done by prophets and yet if he unjustly keeps somebody else's one cent, he will not enter Paradise unless he returns this one cent. It is also a human right upon a man to pay the mahr to the woman whom he has divorced. [It is said on the two hundred and seventy-sixth page of the fifth volume of Ibni Âbidîn, "It is not permissible to beat somebody else's child even if the child's father commands you to do so. The khodja (teacher) may beat his pupil three times with his hand in order to make him study. He is not permitted to beat it with a stick."]

In short, all our limbs should be embellished with practising the rules of the Sharî'at. Then we should take care of our heart so that the deed should not be overcast with the slumber of oblivion! Without the heart's aid it will be difficult for the limbs to cling to the Sharî'at. The savants give the fatwâ and say that something should be so or should not be so. But it devolves on men of Allah to place these into the heart. To strive to purify and enlighten the heart causes all the limbs to hold fast to the Sharî'at. He who busies with the heart only and does not cling to the Sharî'at is a mulhid. He has deviated from the right way. If some (extraordinary) things happen from the hearts and souls of such people, this case is called istidrâj. That is, they are gradually lowered to the very depths of Hell. What signifies the correctitude and goodness of the wonders happening in the heart and soul is all the limbs being embellished with clinging to the Sharî'at. And this is the right way, the way to salvation! May Allâhu ta'âlâ keep us all on the right way! Âmîn.

[It is written in the thirty-second article of Majalla, "Being in need does not remove the fact that the right belongs to somebody else." A person who is about to die of hunger may eat something belonging to somebody else as much as to prevent him from dying, yet he has to pay back its value or an equal amount. To eat something which belongs to somebody else is a sin graver than drinking wine.]

16 - SECOND VOLUME, 69th LETTER

**This letter, written to Muhammad Murâd-i Badahshî, says to be careful about the ta'dîl-i arkân and the tumânînat in namâz, about putting in order the lines** (of worshippers) **in a mosque, about correcting one's intention when going out to fight against** **disbelievers, about the namâz of tahajjud** (the namâz which is performed after midnight) **and about choosing one's food from what is halâl** (permitted by Islam):

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Salâm, solace to those human slaves of His whom He has chosen and loved! Your letter has arrived. It pleases us to know that our friends and those whom we love have not deviated from the right way. May Allâhu ta'âlâ increase your being and remaining on the right way! "We and our friends have been continuing to do the duty which you assigned to us. We have been performing namâz five times each day in a congregation of fifty to sixty people," you say. May hamd-u thanâ be to Allâhu ta'âlâ for this! What a great blessing it is when the heart is with Allâhu ta'âlâ and the body, together with all the limbs, is embellished with doing the rules of the Sharî'at. Recently, most people have been slack in performing namâz. They have been slighting the tumânînat and the ta'dîl-i arkân. For this reason, I have to warn you, my beloved ones, about this matter. Listen well! Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' declared: **"The worst thief is the person who steals from his own namâz."** When he was asked, "O Rasûlallah! How can a person steal from his own namâz?" he said, **"By not doing the rukû and sajda of the namâz properly."** At some other time he declared: **"Allâhu ta'âlâ does not accept the namâz of a person who does not bring his waist into its proper position and remain so for a while in rukû and sajda."** Once, upon seeing a person not doing the rukû and the sajda properly while performing namâz, our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' said, **"Aren't you afraid you may die in some other religion than Hadrat Muhammad's** 'alaihissalâtu wassalâm' **dîn because you perform your prayers of namâz in this manner?"** Once again, he said, **"When performing namâz, if you do not straighten up your body completely after the rukû', if your each limb does not rest at its position for a while when you are standing, your namâz will not be complete."** Once again, he said **, "Unless you sit upright between the two sajdas your namâz will remain incomplete."** One day, upon seeing someone not observing the rules and rukns of salât, not standing upright after the rukû' and not sitting between the sajdas, our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' said, "If you go on performing your prayers of namâz in this manner, on the Day of Resurrection you will not be said to be of my Ummat." At some other time he said, **"If you go on in this manner and die, you shall not have died in the religion of Muhammad** (alaihissalâm)." Abû Hurayra 'radiyallâhu 'anh' says, "The person who has performed all his prayers of namâz for sixty years but whose namâz has never been accepted is the person who has not done the rukû' and sajda properly." Zayd ibni Wahab saw someone performing namâz but not doing the rukû' and sajda properly. He called him out and asked him, "How long have you been performing namâz in this manner?" When the latter answered, "Forty years," he said, "You have not performed namâz for forty years. If you die now you will not die in the Sunnat (Sharî'at) of Hadrat Muhammad."

It is said in the book **Awsât** by Tabarânî 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh' that if a Believer performs his namâz beautifully and does its rukû' and sajda properly, the namâz will become happy and will be full of nûr. Angels will take the namâz up to heavens. The namâz will pronounce a benediction on the person who has performed it and will say, "As you have protected me against being defective, may Allâhu ta'âlâ protect you." If the namâz is not performed well it will become black. Angels will snub that namâz and will not take it up to the heavens. The namâz will curse the person who has performed it and will say, "As you have wasted me and put me into a bad position, may Allâhu ta'âlâ waste you." Then, we should try to perform our prayers of namâz properly, observe the ta'dîl-i arkân, do the rukû', the sajda, the **qawma** (standing upright after the rukû') and the **jalsa** (sitting upright between the two sajdas) well. Also, we should warn others if we see them do these defectively. We should help our brothers-in-Islam perform namâz properly. We should be an example in observing the ta'dîl-i arkân and the tumânînat. Most Muslims have been depriving themselves of the honour of doing this. This blessing has already been lost. It is very important to revivify this good deed. Our Prophet declared: **"He who resuscitates any one of my forgotten sunnats will be given the thawâb of a hundred martyrs."**

Also, we should bu scrupulous in putting the lines in order when performing namâz in jamâ'at. We should not stand ahead of or behind the line we belong to. Everybody should try to stand on the same straight line. Our Prophet 'sallalâhu alaihi wa sallam' would first straighten the lines and then begin namâz **. "Straightening the lines is a part of namâz,"** he would say. O our Allah! Give us a share from Thine Infinite Treasure of Mercy! Do not let any of us deviate from the right way!

O my lucky, fortunate brother! Deeds and worship will be valid with the intention. When going out for war against disbelievers one should first check one's intention. After this only will one get the thawâb. One's purpose in going to war should be to spread and exalt Allah's name, dîn, and to defeat and weaken the enemies of the dîn. [It should be to communicate Allah's dîn to His slaves, to rescue people from disbelief, from ignorance, to make them attain îman, and endless bliss. One should not go out for jihâd (holy war) in order to kill or hurt men. Jihâd is to rescue disbelievers from disbelief by force.] For, we Muslims have been commanded this, and this is what jihâd means. One should not deprive oneself of the thawâb of jihâd by intending for other things. The Ghâzîs' (fighters for Islam) receiving a salary from the Baytulmâl (treasury of an Islamic State) does not do away with the jihâd or the thawâb for jihâd. [All other worships also are acceptable on condition that they be done for Allah's sake and you intend so.] Evil purposes will defile the worship. One should check one's intention, take the salary and go out for the jihâd, and then expect the thawâb of ghâzî and shahîd (martyr). I admire you for the state you are in. You have been honoured with your heart's being with Allâhu ta'âlâ and your all limbs' performing namâz in jamâ'at and also performing jihâd against the enemies of the dîn and disbelievers [and spreading Allah's dîn among disbelievers]. He who comes back from ghazâ alive becomes a ghâzi, a mujâhid. He who becomes a martyr gets many thawâbs, many blessings. I should repeat, however, that these are only after one has purified one's intention. If pure intention will not come to your heart, compel yourself to intend so and pray to Allâhu ta'âlâ earnestly so that such an intention will be inspired into your heart!

O our Allah! Increase Thine nûr, Thine blessings which Thou hast bestowed on us. Cover our sins, our faults! We have so many faults, sins. Yet Thou art capable of everything. Thou canst do everything!

Another piece of advice which I would like to give my beloved friends being there is that you should perform the namâz of tahajjud. [That is, you should perform namâz towards the end of the night.] Our superiors always performed this kind of namâz. As I told you when you were here, if you cannot wake up at that time, tell others in the house to wake you. Tell them not to let you remain in the sleep of unawareness. Thus, after practising this getting up for a few nights, you will get used to getting up by yourself easily, and will attain this great fortune.

One more piece of advice is that you should be careful about the morsels you eat. It is not good for a Muslim to eat anything he finds at any place. He should consider if the morsels are coming to him through the halâl or harâm. Man is not so absolute as to do everything he plans, everything which occurs to his mind. We have our Owner, our Creator. There are His commandments and prohibitions. He has informed us of the things He likes and those He dislikes through His Prophets 'alaihimussalâtu wattaslîmât', who are His compassion for all classes of beings. So unfortunate and miserable is the person who craves for what his Owner reproves. He wants to use everything without his Owner's permission. Shame on such people; they do not use anything without asking its transitory owner in this world if they may use it; they observe the rights of these unreal owners; but, though the real Owner of these things has vehemently and so strictly prohibited the things He reproves and has threatened those who do them with heavy punishments, they take no heed of His word; they just ignore His word. Is this the state of being Muslim, or is it disbelief? One should think seriously! Now the time of death has not come, and the opportunity has not been missed yet. It is possible to rectify, to correct one's past faults. For the hadîth, **"He who performs tawba** (asking for Allah's forgiveness) **for his sin becomes as if he did not sin at all,"** is glad tidings for those who have faults. But if a man commits sins on purpose, tells everybody that he does so, and does not feel ashamed, he becomes a munâfiq. His false pretence to be a Muslim will not save him from torment. What is the need of saying more words, more offensive words? A signal would do for a wise person.

Let me add that at dreadful places and when facing the enemy you should recite the sûra of **'Li îlâfî'** so that you feel safe and comfortable. It has been experienced. Every day and every night you should say it, at least eleven times. A hadîth declares: **"If a person who arrives at some places says the prayer 'A'ûdhu bikalimâtillâhi' t-tâmmâti min sharri mâ khalaqa' nothing will harm him until he leaves the place."** [In order to get rid of something dreadful or to get your wish, you should write from the thirty-seventh âyat up to the end of the thirty-ninth âyat of the sûra of **Tâhâ** in ink on a sheet of paper, then wrap it up seven times with some material, and keep it. Its benefit has been experienced many times.] May Allâhu ta'âlâ give safety to those who follow the right way! Âmîn.
17 - SECOND VOLUME, 9th LETTER

This letter was written to Mulla Ârif Hutanî Badahshî by Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî Mujaddid-i Alf-i thânî 'qaddasallâhu ta'âlâ asrârahul 'azîz'. It gives information about the superiorities of the word 'lâ ilâha illallah,' about the grade of tanzîh and about the Îmân-i ghaybî:

Thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and salâm to those slaves of His whom He has chosen and loved! O Mawlânâ Ârif Hutanî! It is necessary first to annihilate the wrong and fabled gods and then to know the right ma'bûd. Everything that is known how and which can be measured should be annihilated, and then one should have îmân in one Allah, Who is not known how. What best expresses this annihilation in mind and heart and having îmân is the beautiful word **"lâ ilâha illallah."** Our Prophet (sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam) declared: **"The best dhikr is to say 'lâ ilâha illallah.' "** In another hadîth he declared: **"If the seven layers of the heavens and their contents and the seven layers of the earth are all measured with the word lâ ilâha illallah, the thawâb in this word will weigh heavier."** It certainly will, since one part of the word annihilates everything other than **Allah** \- the earth, the heavens, the Arsh, the Kursî, the Lawh, the Kalam, all the classes of beings, and men - while its latter part informs of the existence of the one and only one Creator of the earth and the heavens, one Who is rightfully worshipped. Everything other than Allah, whether in the âfâk (outside man) or in the anfus (inside man), can be understood and measured. So is everything which can be seen in the mirrors of âfâk and anfus. All such things should be known to be nonexistent. So are all the things which we know and learn, which we remember and imagine, and which affect our sense organs. They are all of recent occurrence, they are creatures. For everything which man knows and feels is his own work, what he himself has done. Our considering Allâhu ta'âlâ free from defect and saying that He is unlike anything means to liken Him (to something). The greatness which we realize means inferiority. The kashfs, tajallîs, mushâhadas which happen to men of tasawwuf are all things other than Allâhu ta'âlâ. Allâhu ta'âlâ is **warâ-ul-warâ.** That is, He is beyond everything beyond. He is unlike anything. Hadrat Ibrâhîm said to the disbelievers, **"Why do you worship the idols which you yourselves have made? Allâhu ta'âlâ created you and all your deeds."** The Qur'ân relates this. All the things we do, whether we do them with our hands or we invent them with our mind and imagination, are Allah's creatures. None of them is worthy of worship. Allâhu ta'âlâ, alone, is worthy of being worshipped. He is unlike any of the things which we know or which we find out by thinking. How He is cannot be understood. Mind and imagination cannot approach Him. Kashf and shuhûd collapse before His greatness. There is no other way than believing such a high creator who is bî-chûn and bî-chighûna [that is, who is unlike anything and who cannot be understood through mind] through ghayb (without seeing or understanding). For, it will not be belief in Him to believe Him by attempting to understand Him by seeing or thinking. It will be to believe something made by us. And that something is His creature. We will have made it a partner to Him. In fact, perhaps, we will have believed something besides Him. We trust ourselves to Allâhu ta'âlâ to protect us from falling into such a calamity. For having îmân in the ghayb, it is necessary to believe a creator beyond the reach of the imagination and fancy. Nothing from Him should have a place in the imagination. This meaning is obtained after the grade of closeness, which is outside fancy and imagination. For, the farther away something is, the easier will it become to comprehend through the imagination and the better will it be settled in a fancy. This blessing is only peculiar to prophets. Having îmân through the ghayb has devolved only upon these great people. And they bestow it upon whomever they like of those who obey and follow them. The îmân of all Believers through the way of the ghayb cannot rid the interference of the fancy. For, according to the ignorant 'warâ-ul-warâ' means remoteness. In such an understanding the fancy interferes with the matter. On the other hand, to those great people 'alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât' 'warâ-ul-warâ' is closeness. With this understanding the fancy cannot interfere with the matter. As long as the world survives and we live in a worldly life, there is no other way than believing through the ghayb. For, the îmân which happens by seeing here is invalid. When life in the Hereafter begins, fancy and imagination will no longer have any power and the **îmân-i shuhûdî** , which happens by seeing, will become valuable. Fancy and imagination will not be able to mix evil with this îmân. I think that because Rasûlullah Muhammad 'alaihissalâm' was honoured with seeing Allâhu ta'âlâ in the world it would be beautiful to say that his 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' îmân is shuhûdî. Evil emanating from the fancy and imagination have not been mixed with this îmân. For, the blessing that will be bestowed upon other Believers in the Hereafter fell to the lot of that exalted Prophet in the world. This is such a great gift from Allâhu ta'âlâ. Allâhu ta'âlâ bestows His gifts upon whomever He chooses. Allâhu ta'âlâ is the giver of very many gifts.

It should be understood well that Khalîlullah Ibrâhîm 'alaihissalâm' explained very well the fact that it is wrong to worship things other than Allâhu ta'âlâ. He thoroughly closed all the gates which would lead to disbelief. For this reason, he became the imâm of prophets. He surpassed them all 'alaihi wa alaihimussalawâtu wattahiyyât'. For, the highest point of progress in worldly life is to realize well the fact that there is nothing to be worshipped other than Allâhu ta'âlâ. For, the exact meaning of the saying, "Allâhu ta'âlâ alone is worthy of being worshipped," which is communicated by the second part of the beautiful word **"lâ ilâha illallah,"** will be understood only in the Hereafter. Nevertheless, because the last Prophet 'alaihi wa alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât' was honoured with seeing Allâhu ta'âlâ in this world, he attained many things of the exact meaning of that word in this world, too. It may be said that of that meaning what is possible in this world has been communicated with the coming of the exalted Prophet. We may say, again, that the tajallî of the Dhât-i Ilâhî in this world has only fallen to the lot of the exalted Prophet. Others were informed that they will be blessed with this lot in the Hereafter. Salâm to those who are on the right way and to those who follow Hadrat Muhammad Mustafâ 'alaihi wa 'alâ âlihî minassalawâti afdaluhâ wa minattaslîmâti akmaluhâ'!

18 - THIRD VOLUME, 47th LETTER

**This letter was written to the then Sultan [Salim Jihanghîr Khan** 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ aleyh'.] **It explains the pieces of secret information in praying and praises savants and pious Muslims.**

I, Ahmad 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ aleyh', the lowest of your humble servants who have been praying for you, present my humiliation and my benedictions to your exalted place of refuge and to the door of your superior servants. I offer my thanks for the promotion of slaves and for the blessings that everybody, ignorant and learned alike, whether near or far, has been living free from fear and in comfort. At times when I am hopeful of being accepted, and during the meetings of faqîrs, I have been praying to Allâhu ta'âlâ so that He will bless your courageous soldiers with aid, conquest and victory. Translation of a Persian line:

Everyone is created for some purpose!

Allâhu ta'âlâ does not create anything nonsensical or useless. The duty of the soldiers of the army is to strengthen the state. Promulgation of this brilliant Sharî'at is possible with the state's help. It is declared: **"The Sharî'at is under the shade of swords."** This valuable duty has been given to the soldiers of prayers, too. Those who pray are the poor, needy people who live in inconvenience.

There are two ways of helping to strengthen the state. Firstly, there are material means. This is done with soldiers, with the army [with technical, economic means]. All these are obvious, visible help. The second type of means is the real help and is done by the One Who creates the means. It is declared in the hundred and twenty-sixth âyat of **' Imrân Sûra** and in **Anfâl Sûra, "Help is only and only from Allâhu ta'âlâ."** This help is attained through the army of prayers. Because the soldiers of the army of prayers are lower than everybody else and are broken-hearted, they are ahead of the soldiers of the fighting army. Leaving the means behind, they have set up a connection with their Creator. Translation of a Persian line:

The broken-hearted kicked the ball forward!

Furthermore, prayers repel accidents and calamities. The ever truthful 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' declared: **"Accidents can be stopped with prayers only."** Swords, jihâd [and all kinds of means of war] cannot stop an accident. As it is seen, soldiers of the army of prayers, weak and broken-hearted as they are, are more important than soldiers of the fighting army. Soldiers of the army of prayers are sort of the souls of the soldiers of the fighting army. Soldiers of the fighting army are their bodies. Then, soldiers of the fighting army can manage nothing without the army of prayers. For, no help or force will be useful for a body without a soul. Therefore, during times of trouble in his ghazâs, Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' used to ask for help from Allâhu ta'âlâ for the sake of the poor ones of the muhâjirs. Though he had an army and soldiers, he would pray by making the poor ones of the muhâjirs intermediaries. We faqîrs, soldiers of the army of prayers, are wretched, humiliated before everybody, and heart-broken. For, it has been said, "Poverty is a disgrace in this world and the next." So as we are, we are made valuable ahead of the men of action. Muhkbîr-i Sâdiq (he who always says the truth: the Prophet) declared: **"On the Day of Resurrection, the martyrs' blood will be weighed against the savants' ink. The ink will weigh heavier."** This darkness, this disgrace causes them to be cherished, honoured. It promotes them from the lowest to the highest. Yes, translation of a Persian line:

The water of life exists in darkness!

This low person who prays for you is not worthy enough to deem himself as one of the soldiers of the army of prayers; yet only in the name of poverty and with the hope of probable acceptance of a prayer, he has been counting himself among the praying soldiers of your powerful state and has been praying with his spirit and tongue and saying the Fâtiha for your salvation. O our Allah! Accept our prayers! You hear every word and know everything.

19 - THIRD VOLUME, 13th LETTER

This letter was written to Sayyid Mir Muhibbullah Manqpûrî. It encourages one to obey the owner of this brilliant Sharî'at and to love one's master from whom one has learned one's dîn:

Bismillâhirrahmânirrahîm. My Brother Sayyid Mîr Muhibullah's honourable letter has arrived here. Your writing, which begins by saying that you are hopeless because of hardships, has been understood. It is disbelief to give up hope of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Be hopeful. If two things exist in you, do not worry! The first one is to obey the Owner of this brilliant Sharî'at 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', and the second one is to believe in the greatness of the exalted person from whom you have learned the dîn and to love him. Trust yourself to Allâhu ta'âlâ and entreat Him so that there will not be slackness in these two blessings. When these two exist, it is easy to correct the other things. As I wrote to you before, if you feel uncomfortable in Manqpûr go to the place called Ilâh-âbâd and settle there. It is expected that the place will be found blessed. You understood the other way round. Even the word "blessed" did not help you understand our purpose. And now I say so again. Tonight it came to my heart that your belongings were sort of taken from Manqpûr to Ilâh-âbâd. Go there and settle at a remote place and illuminate the place with the dhikr of Allâhu ta'âlâ! Do not be friends with anybody! Perform the dhikr of **nafy** and **ithbât** very much! When repeating that beautiful word, expel all your wishes and thoughts from your heart! Let your purpose, your beloved, and your wish not be more than one! If you cannot perform the dhikr with your heart do it with your tongue! But you should do it silently. For, it is prohibited in this path to do the dhikr aloud. You know the other things to be done on this path. Do your best to follow them! It makes one attain many things to follow the teaching master. It is so dangerous to deviate from his path. What more should I write? Salâm to those who are on the right way and who obey Hadrat Muhammad Mustafâ 'alaihi wa alâ Âlihi wa as'hâbihissalawâtu wattaslîmâtu atammuhâ wa akmaluhâ'!

20 - THIRD VOLUME, 54th LETTER

This letter was written to Khân-i Jihân. It enjoins holding fast to the Sharî'at, which is firm, and informs that to be careful about observing the Sharî'at in one's worldly businesses is to earn the dîn and the world together:

May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless you with doing the things which He likes! May He bestow safety upon you and bless you with being valuable and cherished! For the sake of His high Prophet and his close relatives 'alaihi wa alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât', may He accept this prayer of mine! Translation of a Persian couplet:

The ball of prosperity and happiness is thrown onto the field.  
There is none in sight, where are the polomen?

The world's sweet things and transient blessings are useful and halâl only when they help one to obey the brilliant Sharî'at. A worldly advantage is good when it is together with the advantage pertaining to the Hereafter. Those worldly blessings which do not help earn the Hereafter are like poisons covered with sugar. Idiots are deceived by them. Shame on those who do not use the theriac prescribed by Allâhu ta'âlâ as a curative against these poisons! So wretched are those who do not cure these sugary, sweet poisons by enduring the difficulty of obeying the commandments and prohibitions of the Sharî'at. A person who makes only a small effort, who makes a little attempt at following the Sharî'at, will attain endless advantages. It is so easy to follow the commandments and prohibitions of the Sharî'at. And with only a little unawareness and slackness these endless blessings will be lost. A person with a far-sighted, accurate mind should follow this briliant Sharî'at. He should not be like a child who misses useful things by being absorbed in playing with walnuts and cypress cones. If you observe and obey the Sharî'at during your worldly occupations you will have followed the Prophet's 'alaihimussalâwâtu wattaslîmât' way and clung to your faith. Even if we worship sincerely for many years, we incapable people cannot approach the grade of a hero like you, who have earned the dîn and the world together. O our Allah! Bless us with the lot of doing the deeds which You like! Let me say also that dear Khwâja Muhammad Sa'îd and Khwâja Muhammad Ashraf, who have taken up to you this piece of paper written by your humble servant who prays for you, are among those who are beloved by us and close to us. The gifts which you will bestow upon them will please this faqîr. May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless you with the lot of doing valuable deeds, and may He exalt your honour!

21 - THIRD VOLUME, 59th LETTER

This letter was written to Sharafuddîn Husayn. It informs that all the things which happen to man every day come through Allah's will and so one should find pleasure in them all:

May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless you with the lot of making progress in Hadrat Muhammad's Sharî'at and His attaching you to Himself in every respect! My dear and understanding son! Everything which man encounters each day comes to being with Allah's willing and creating. So we should adapt our wills to His Will! We should deem all the things we encounter as the things we have been looking for, and should be pleased with having attained them! This is how a slave should be. We should be so if we are slaves. Not to be so would mean to refuse being a slave and to oppose our Owner. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in a **Hadîth-i qudsî: "If anyone is not content with My qadâ and qadar and disapproves of them and is not patient with the disasters which I send, let him look for another Rabb (Owner) besides Me. Let him not stay on earth as a born slave of Mine!"** Yes, the faqîrs, the destitude, and many people who lived under your protection were comfortable because you were taking care of them and protecting them. They did not know what sorrow was. Their real Owner will go on protecting them. And you will always be remembered for your kindness. May Allâhu ta'âlâ reward you abundantly for your benevolence both in this world and in the next! I send my salâm.

22 - THIRD VOLUME, 7th LETTER

This letter was written to Muhibbullah Manqpûrî. It informs that it is necessary to endure the troubles caused by people:

May hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and prayers be upon His beloved Prophet! I pronounce my benedictions over you and over all Muslims. My brother Muhibbullah's honourable letter has arrived here to please us very much. It is necessary to endure people's bothering you. There is nothing to do but to be patient with your relatives' hurting you. Allâhu ta'âlâ commands His Beloved Prophet and declares in **Ahkâf Sûra, "As the Ulul'azm ones of the Prophets were patient, you, too, be patient! Do not hurry to pray that they be tormented!"** The most useful thing to those being there is the annoyance and trouble given to them by others there. You do not wish this blessing and abstain from it. Yes, he who is used to always eating sweet things will abstain from the healing, bitter medicine. I am at a loss as to what to say about this. Translation of a Persian couplet:

Though they may be coy, those who have fallen in love  
Should get used not to coyness but to adversity!

You ask for permission to move to a place called Ilâhâbâd. "... Or recommend some other place. The hardships caused by the people here have become unbearable. I will go there and breathe freely for a while," you say. **Rukhsat,** permission, can be given for this. **But azîmat,** that is, the better way, is to remain there and to be patient with and endure the difficulties. As you know, this season makes me feel enervated. That is why I write briefly. I send my salâm.

23 - SECOND VOLUME, 29th LETTER

This letter was written for the virtuous Shaikh Abdulhaq-i Dahlawî. It informs that the most valuable capital in this world is (formed by) sorrows and hardships and that the sweetest blessings are adversity and sufferings:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and salâm to those slaves of His whom He has chosen and loved! My Dear Sir. The coming of disasters may be unpleasant outwardly, but it is expected that they will be blessings. The world's most valuable stock is (collected from) sorrows and afflictions. The most delicious food on the world's meal table is (made up of) problems and calamities. These sweet blessings are covered with bitter medicine. Therefore, calamities and disasters are showered on the beloved ones. Those who are fortunate and wise see the sweets placed in them. They chew the bitter covers on them as if they were sweet. They take flavour from the bitter. Why shouldn't they, since everything coming from the Beloved will be sweet. Those who are sick do not feel their taste. The heart's sickness means its having fallen in love with somebody other than He. The fortunate ones take so much flavour from the troubles coming from the Beloved One that they do not taste the same flavour in His favours. Though both are coming from the Beloved One, the lover's nafs does not get a share from the hardships. But His favours are wished by the nafs, too. Translation of an Arabic line:

May it do good to those who get the blessing!

O our Allah! Do not deprive us of the rewards of these hardships! After these, do not let us fall into faction! During these days when Islam is weak, your valuable being is a great blessing for Muslims. May Allâhu ta'âlâ give you safety and bless you with a long life! Wassalâm.

24 - SECOND VOLUME, 32nd LETTER

This letter was written to Mirzâ Kilinjullah. It answers his letter saying that he cannot concentrate his heart, and intimates the prayers to be said during times of fear:

I express my gratitude to Allâhu ta'âlâ, pronounce benedictions over His beloved Prophet and over you. Your cherished letter of azâ, that is, letter of condolence due to bereavement, has arrived. We all are under Allah's command and will, and we all will enter His presence! With His aid, we have been acquiescent in His qadâ. You, too, must acquiesce to it! Ask for help by saying prayers and the **Fâtiha!** The news informing that you are already free of that problem has pleased us very much. So we have gotten rid of one of the two problems. Thank Allâhu ta'âlâ for this! You write that you cannot rid your heart of worldly thoughts. Yes, the outward deed's being disorderly and disorganized causes the heart to become untidy, too. When there is sorrow or melancholy in your heart say tawba and istighfâr to remove it! During times of fear [and against the harm of genies] say the prayer of **Kalima-i tamjîd** , that is, **"Lâ hawla walâ quwwata illâ billâhil 'aliyyil 'azîm."** [It is written in the 174th letter that this prayer is said against the haunting of genies. Muhammad Ma'thûm 'rahmatullâhi alaih' writes in his third letter of the second volume, "One should recite **Lâ hawla walâ quwwata illâ billâh** five hundred times with the salawât-i sherîfa a hundred times before and after it and make a du'â in order to get rid of problems and attain one's wishes."] At such times of trouble it is very useful to recite the two sûras of Mu'awwizatayn, that is, the two sûras beginning with **Qul-a'ûdhu**. We have been well and comfortable, may hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ always! **"Alhamdu-li 'l-lâhi dâiman wa alâ kulli hâl wa A'ûdhu bi'l-lâhi min hâl-i ahl-in-nâr."** Being weak, I cannot write any longer. May Allâhu ta'âlâ not separate us and you from Muhammad Mustafâ's Sharî'at! Wassalâm.

[It is written in **Tafsîr-i Mazharî** in the explanation of the eighty-eighth âyat of the **Sûrat-ul-Anbiyâ** that a hadîth-i sherîf says, **"During the time of sorrows and hardships recite the prayer of the Prophet Yûnus. Surely Allah will rescue you. The prayer is: Lâ ilâha illâ anta subhânaka innî kuntu minaz-zâlimîn."** A hadîth-i-sherîf quoted in the fifty-third chapter of the book **Terghîb us-Salât** reads as follows: **"If a person, after getting up every morning, says the following prayer three times, no trouble or disaster will come upon him until evening: Bismillâh-illezî lâ yedhurru ma'asmihi shey'un fi-l-ardi wa lâ fi-s-semâ' wahuwa-s-samî' ul-'alîm."**

25 - SECOND VOLUME, 75th LETTER

This letter was written to Mirzâ Muzaffar Khân. It informs that the problems and disasters sent upon the beloved ones are atonements for their sins and that it is necessary to ask earnestly for forgiveness and good health:

May Allâhu ta'âlâ make you safe against unbecoming things! The coming of disasters and troubles upon the beloved is an atonement for the forgiveness of their sins. Begging, weeping, taking refuge, and with a broken heart, you should ask for forgiveness and good health from Allâhu ta'âlâ. Until it is understood that the prayer has been accepted and the fitna has come to an end, you should pray so. Your friends and those who wish goodness for you are praying for you, yet it is better for the aggrieved person himself to supplicate. To take medicine and diet are necessary for the sick person himself. What others will do, at the very most, is to help him. To tell the truth, everything coming from the Beloved should be encountered with smiles, with pleasure. Everything coming from there should be found sweet. The Beloved's treating harshly and humiliating should be like a kindness, a gift, an exalting. In fact, they should be sweeter than such desires of one's own nafs. If a lover is not so, his love will be incomplete. In fact, his saying that he loves will be a lie. Your highness, protector of the Sharî'at, upon coming back from the service, wrote about the happenings during the journey and the hardships your company had encountered. The Fâtiha was recited for your safety and good health. O our Allah! Do not call us to account for what we have forgotten or what we have done by mistake! Do not burden us with difficult jobs as You did with past ummats. Do not command us to do what we cannot do. Forgive us! Pity us! Thou art our Owner! Help us so that we can overcome our enemies! **Subhâna Rabbika Rabbi'l-izzati ammâ yasifûn wa salâmun alalmursalîn walhamdu-lillâhi Rabbil 'âlamîn.** Wassalâm.

26 - THIRD VOLUME, 27th LETTER

This letter was written to Mulla Alî Kashmî. It says that a slave should give up his own wishes and adapt himself to his Owner's wishes. Also, it informs with diseases that are inherent in man and those which come from outside:

What a slave wishes should only be his Owner and his Owner's wish. He should have no wishes besides his Owner's wishes. If not so, he has cast off the shackles of slavery and escaped from being a slave. A slave who always pursues his own wishes is a slave of his own wishes. He is a slave of his nafs. He always does the commands of the accursed Devil. The blessing of being a slave to Allâhu ta'âlâ is attained only after reaching the grade of Wilâyat-i khâssa. Becoming such a Walî falls to one's lot only after a complete **fanâ** and a perfect **baqâ.**

**Question:** The Walîs who are so have wishes, desires, too. For, they want various things. Also, the leader of Prophets, the Sultan of Walîs, Hadrat Muhammad, liked cool, sweet sherbets. The Qur'ân informs of the fact that he used to toil for the good of his Ummat. What is the reason for the existence of such wishes in the great?

**Answer:** Many wishes are the requirements of natural laws. So long as man is alive he cannot get rid of these wishes. When it is hot the body wants to get cool. And in cold weather appears the desire to get warm. The body's desire for the things indispensable to live is not contrary to being a slave. Such desires are not the desires of the nafs. They have nothing to do with the nafs. The Sharî'at has not prohibited these desires which are the outcomes of natural laws. Having these desires does not mean following the nafs. It is mubâh to satisfy such desires. The nafs wants the mubâhs more than needed. The mubâhs more than indispensably needed are called **fudûl**. Or, the nafs wants dubious things and things that are harâm. Those things that are indispensably necessary for living do not have anything to do with the nafs. As it is seen, to follow the nafs, to do evil things, means to desire and do those things that are fudûl. For, the mubâhs more than necessary are close to the harâms. If one, deceived by the Devil, goes a little further, one will fall down into the harâms. For this reason, mubâhs should be done as much as necessary. A little over-indulgence in doing so will cause you to slip and fall down into the fudûls. And if you slip as you enjoy the fudûls, you will end up in the harâms.

Many inclinations do not exist in man. They come to man from without. Allâhu ta'âlâ, who is very compassionate, sends man the useful ones of them. It is declared (in a long hadîth): **"Allâhu ta'âlâ keeps a preacher in every man's heart."** The harmful ones are sent by the Devil. The Devil always incites men to do evil and enmity. The hundred and twentieth âyat of **Nisâ Sûra** purports, **"The Devil promises man many things and reminds him of many things. All the things which the Devil promises are lies."** One day during my imprisonment in the fortress of Ghuwalyar, this faqîr (Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî means himself) sat down silently after the morning prayer as it was customary on this path. Useless thoughts suffused me, so much so that I felt very uneasy. I could not collect my heart in any way. After some time, I managed to control myself with the help of Allâhu ta'âlâ. I saw that the thoughts were gone like the dispersing of clouds. What had brought them to my heart went away together with them, leaving my heart free and pure. It was realized that those thoughts and wishes had come from the outside, that they had not originated from the inside. If they had originated from the inside, the case would have been incompatible with being a slave. In brief, the evil issuing from the nafs-i ammâra are man's own diseases. They are fatal poisons and are incompatible with being a slave. Those diseases coming from the outside are among the transient diseases, though they are caused by the Devil. They can be cured with a little medicine. The seventy-sixth âyat of **Nisâ Sûra** declares: **"The Devil's deceit is certainly weak."** Our greatest enemy is our own nafs. Our mortal enemy is this ferocious friend of ours, who is always with us. Our enemy outside attacks us with the help of this enemy within us. He wounds us with his help. Of all beings, man's nafs is the most ignorant. For the nafs-i ammâra feels hostility against itself. It always desires things which will annihilate itself. Its every wish is something which Allâhu ta'âlâ has prohibited. Its every deed is somehow a revolt against Allâhu ta'âlâ, its owner and the owner of everything. It always follows the Devil, its own mortal enemy.

It is very difficult for man to distinguish his own disease from the transient disease coming from the outside. It is very difficult to distinguish the evil inside from the evil coming from the outside. An ignoramus thinks of his own disease as the transient disease coming from the outside, thus becoming self-respecting and thinking of himself as perfect. And thus he may roll down into perdition. Frightened by this thought, I could not write about this subtle piece of information. I found it not right to explain it. I did not write about it for seventeen years. For, I had been confusing the evil inside and the evil coming from the outside with each other. Yet now Allâhu ta'âlâ has separated the right from the wrong. For this and for many such blessings of His may hamd and thanks be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Another reason for explaining this secret piece of information is that it is intended to prevent short-sighted people, who see that desires coming from the outside exist in perfect people, from thinking that those great people are low. Those who think so cannot benefit from the barakats of those great people. Disbelievers' being deprived of the honour of following prophets were because of the existence of such attributes in these great people. An âyat in the sûra of Taghâbun purports, **"They said, 'Are other men supposed to guide us?' Thus they became disbelievers."** Our superiors said, "When an ârif's own wishes are annihilated, Allâhu ta'âlâ bestows on him a will and option from Himself." I will, inshâallah, explain these words of mine at some other place. May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless the travellers of the right way with salvation! Âmîn.

27 - SECOND VOLUME, 53rd LETTER

This letter was written to a shaikh [Shaikh Abd-us-Samad Sultanpûrî]. It informs that arrogance and contempt are illnesses:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and salâm to those slaves of His whom He has chosen! You ask: "When I do riyâdat and pray, my nafs swells with importance. He thinks there is noone to be as pious and as good as he is. When I do something incompatible with the Sharî'at, I consider myself needy, incapable. What is its medicine?" O my brother who has attained Allah's blessing and favour! Feeling oneself needy and incapable, which you describe as the second mood, is a result of repentance, a great blessing. If you do not repent having sinned - may Allâhu ta'âlâ protect us - and if sinning comes sweet to you, you will become an insistent and addicted sinner. Repentance is a part of tawba. Insisting on committing venial sins will cause grave sins. And insisting on grave sins will lead one to disbelief. That second state of yours is a great blessing. Thank Allâhu ta'ala for it so that your repentance will increase and will protect you against actions unsuitable with the Sharî'at. The seventh âyat of **Ibrâhîm Sûra** purports, **"If you thank Me, I shall increase My blessing!"** The first kind of state which your nafs is sometimes in is pride; that is, it is self-arrogance based on having worshipped. Arrogance is a horrible poison. Being a fatal disease, it does away with worships and goodness. It is like fire burning the wood. Pride originates from liking one's worships, from deeming them well done. Its medicine is to do the opposite. For doing this, one should see one's good deeds as deficient, consider one's secret defects in them, and thus realize that one's worship is defective and badly done. In fact, one should find them likely to be disliked and refused. A hadîth states, **"There are many people who read the Qur'ân, but the Qur'ân accurses them."** Another hadîth states, **"There are many people who fast but their fast is no more than suffering hunger and thirst."** One should not think that there is nothing wrong with one's worship or good deeds. If one reflects on the matter a little, with the help of Allâhu ta'âlâ one will find it all badly done. One will not even sense any smell of beauty. Can pride ever exist in such a person? Can the nafs be content with itself? When a person finds his deeds and worships defective there will be an increase in their value. They will become worthy of acceptance. Strive to see your good deeds so, lest you should feed your own ego. Otherwise, it will yield very bad consequences. Only those whom Allâhu ta'âlâ likes can escape such a disaster. A person who has attained the blessing of finding his worships and good deeds faulty and defective will be in such a mood that he will think that the angel on his right shoulder, who has been appointed to write down his good deeds, has been writing nothing. For, he cannot see himself doing any goodness for the angel to write. And he thinks that the angel who writes down his bad deeds on his left shoulder has been writing ceaselessly. For, he sees that all the things he does are bad and unworthy. An ârif who has attained to this state is blessed with a blessing which not everybody can understand or describe. Translation of a Persian line:

At this point, the point of the pen broke.  
Salâm to those who are on the right way!

[Some people who have not understood Islam and some enemies of Islam say that Muslims are selfish, egoistic and arrogant. To those who perform namâz they say, "Instead of performing namâz in order to escape Hell, get up and serve people." Above we have explained very well that the Islamic dîn is not a dîn of egoism, and that those who are not egoistic are dearer. As for performing namâz, Muslims, contrary to what the ignorant think, do not worship in order to escape Hell or to attain to comfort. They worship because it is Allah's command, because it is a duty. "Duty is to do what is commanded by the commander and not to do what he prohibits." If two commanders' orders do not agree, the superior commander's order will be done. Even in the military the primary duty is to do the superior commander's order. In order to deceive youngsters, the enemies of the dîn say, "Duty is sacred. Duty first, and namâz later." Yes, duty is even more sacred than they think it is. But the primary duty is to do the command of the most superior commander. The most superior commander is Allâhu ta'âlâ. The first duty, therefore, is namâz. No superior, no commander, no ranking officer should change this duty. One should perform namâz during the breaks, in dormitories or - if there is no other way - even in restrooms. However, the best thing to do is not to work with such black and stony-hearted enemies of the dîn and to stay away from them. Surely, Allâhu ta'âlâ will give a Muslim more sustenance through some other way. Imâm-i Ghazâlî says in his book **Kimyâ-i Sa'âdat,** "There will be no fertility in a job that hinders the namâz or makes it difficult. There is abundance in those jobs that are convenient for the namâz." He says on the seventy-ninth page, "Rasûlullah states **, 'Muslim means a person who does not harm Muslims with his hand or tongue.'** Each Muslim should be so. A hadîth states, 'Of you, the one with the most perfect îmân is the one with the most beautiful moral character.' " As it is seen, even îmân is measured with morals, with being useful to others. In my work **Islâm Ahlâkı** (Islamic Morals), published in Turkish in 1981, the good manners Muslims should develop are written in detail. When performing namâz a person extends salâms to all Believers and prays for them. But he who does not perform namâz trespasses on this right of Believers. Then, performing namâz is not egoism, but it is benefaction. And it is cruelty not to perform namâz.]

28 - SECOND VOLUME, 96th LETTER

**This letter, written to Khwâja Abdul-Hasan Bahâdir Badahshî, explains how our Prophet** 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' **asked for paper towards his death:**

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Salâm to the slaves whom He has chosen! Our Prophet'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' asked for paper on his deathbed. **"Fetch me paper! I will write a book for you lest you go wrong after me,"** he ordered. Hadrat 'Umar, together with a few other Sahabîs, said, "The book of Allâhu ta'âlâ will suffice for us! Let us ask him if he is talking in his sleep." However, Resûlullah's 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' each word was wahy. As a matter of fact, the third âyat of **Wannajmi Sûra** purports, **"He does not talk nonsense. He always states the wahy."** It causes disbelief to refuse the wahy. As a matter of fact, forty-fourth âyat of **Mâida Sûra** purports, **"Those who disobey what Allâhu ta'âlâ** **has sent are disbelievers."** Furthermore, to think that the Prophet 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' may talk in his sleep or such nonsense undermines the belief in him and the trust in his Sharî'at, a case which is also disbelief, being zindîq. How should we reconcile these important facts?

May Allâhu ta'âlâ increase your understanding. May He bless you with the lot of walking on the right way! If those who strive to denigrate the three Khalîfas and the other Sahabîs by bringing forward such doubts become reasonable and realize the honour and value of the sohbat of the Best of Mankind and if they know that the Sahâba 'alaihimurridwân' had gotten rid of the desires of their nafs completely and had been purified from such bad habits as grudge and enmity by benefiting from this sohbat; that they were all great men of the dîn and Islam's eye-apples; that they strove with their utmost to strenghten the dîn and to help the Best of Mankind, that they sacrificed all their property to exalt Islam; that they left and sacrificed their clans and tribes, their children and wives, their homes and homelands, their waterways, fields, trees and rivers, for their excessive love of Rasûlullah 'alaihissalâm', that they loved Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' more than their own lives; that they were honoured with seeing the wahy, the angel; that they saw miracles and wonders; that they realized by seeing what should be believed without seeing; that what is knowledge for others was experience for them; and that they are praised and lauded by Allâhu ta'âlâ in the Qur'ân, they will realize that these doubts are sheer fibs, and they will pay no heed to them. They will not even consider it necessary to find out the unsound places in these fibs or to eliminate the wrong points in them. All the Sahâba have this superiority. How could we ever describe the superiority of the **Khulafâ-i râshidîn,** the four Khalîfas, who are the most superior among them? Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' is such an 'Umar that Allâhu ta'âlâ declared to His Messenger about him: **"O my Prophet! Allah and those Believers who follow you will suffice for you!"** in the sixty-fourth âyat of **Anfâl Sûra.** Hadrat Abdullah Ibni Abbâs informs that the âyat was revealed upon Hadrat 'Umar's conversion to Islam. Such slanders fabricated about the Sahâba are based on no truth. They are contrary to the obvious, known facts. They are refuted by the Qur'ân and by hadîths. However, lest the question should go unanswered and in order to expound the unsound places in the doubtful words, I have deemed it suitable to write a few prefaces with the help of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Read carefully! A few prefaces are necessary to remove the doubt entirely. Each of the prefaces can serve as an answer.

**First Preface:** Not every thought or every word of our Prophet's conveyed wahy. The âyat, **"He does not talk nonsense,"** in **Wannajmi Sûra** is about the Qur'ân. The books of tafsîr write so, too. If his each word had conveyed the wahy, Allâhu ta'âlâ would not have informed that some of his words were wrong. Nor would He have communicated that He had forgiven them. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares to His beloved Prophet in the forty-third âyat of **Tawba Sûra, "Allâhu ta'âlâ has forgiven you for your fault of giving permission to them."**

**Second Preface:** In words through ijtihâd and in decisions made by mind, it was permissible to object to Sarwar 'alaihi wa alâ alaihissalawat wattaslîmât' and to disagree with him. The second âyat of **Hashr Sûra** purports, **"O you owners of wisdom, take warning from others!"** [It is written in the tafsîr of Baydâwî that it is inferred from this âyat that qiyâs is permissible and necessary.] It is commanded in the hundred and fifty-ninth âyat of **Âl-i 'Imrân Sûra, "In your work consult your Sahâba!"** While taking warning and while consulting, opinions and words can be refused and changed. As a matter of fact, in the holy war of Badr there were two different opinions: to kill the slaves captured or to set them free in return for money. Hadrat 'Umar was of the opinion that they should be killed. The Prophet suggested to set them free. The wahy that was revealed concurred with Hadrat 'Umar's proposition. It was declared that it was a guilt to take money. Our Prophet declared: **"If torment had come upon us, none of us would have been saved, except 'Umar and Sa'd bin Mu'âz."** For, Sa'd 'radiy-Allâhu ta'âlâ 'anh' also had been of the opinion that the slaves should be killed.

[The holy war of Badr took place in the month of Ramadân in the second year of the Hegira. The Muslim fighters left the city of Medîna on the twelfth day of the month of Ramadân. They stayed in Badr for three nights. They returned to Medîna in nineteen days. In this ghazâ (holy war) the enemy army was about a thousand strong. They all wore armours of iron. There were a hundred horsemen and seven hundred camel-riders among them. Mus'ab bin Umayr was carrying the white banner of the muhâjirs. Abû Azîz, Mus'ab's brother, Abdurrahmân bin Abû Bakr Siddîq, Hadrat Abû Huzayfa's father, Utba, his brother, Walid, his uncle, Shayba, Hadrat Ali's brother, Uqayl, his uncle, Abbâs, his uncle Hâris's sons, Abû Sufyân and Nawfal, and Rasûlullah's son-in-law, Abul Âs bin Rabî, were in the enemy army. Seventy of the unbelievers were killed. And seventy were captured. The Muslim army consisted of three hundred and thirteen soldiers, eight of whom were on duty somewhere else. Three hundred and five people took part in the war. Sixty-four of them were from the Muhâjirs. There were three horsemen and seventy camel-riders. Fourteen people, six of whom from the Muhâjirs, became martyrs. The names of the three hundred and thirteen people are written in the book **Jâliyat-ul-Akdâr,** by Hadrat Khâlid-i Baghdâdi.]

**Third Preface:** It is possible, and an experienced fact, too, that prophets err and forget. As it is related in the hadîth of Zulyadayn, once Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' made the last salâm after the second rak'at of a prayer of namâz that was fard and which consisted of four rak'ats. Zulyadayn said: "O Rasûlallah! You performed the namaz in two rak'ats. I wonder if you forgot (that it was of four rak'ats)?" It being realized that Zulyadayn was right, Rasûlullah got up and performed two more rak'ats and then performed the sajda-i sahw. While it is possible for him to forget when he is not sick and he does not have any trouble whatsoever but only as a requirement of being human, it must certainly be possible for him to talk without thinking, unwillingly during his illness of death, when he is suffering severe pains, which is a requirement of being human. Why should it not be possible, and why shouldn't the Sharî'at be trusted any more only because of this? For, Allâhu ta'âlâ informed His Prophet through wahy that he had erred and forgotten and distinguished what was right from what was wrong. For, it is not possible for a prophet to remain in error. He is immediately informed that he is wrong. If it were not so the Sharî'at would not be trusted at all. This means to say that what would cause the Sharî'at not to be trusted any more is not erring or forgetting, but its remaining without being informed or corrected after erring or forgetting. And this second case is not possible. That is, he will immediately be informed.

**Fourth Preface:** Hadrat 'Umar - and the other three Khalîfas 'radiyallâhu ta'âlâ anhum', too - had been given the glad tidings that they would go to Paradise. The Qur'ân and hadîths inform that they will go to Paradise. That they will go to Paradise has been said so often that it has become a tawâtur. To disbelieve it is either vulgar ignorance or pig-headedness. Our imâms of hadîth wrote these pieces of information in their books, taking them from the Sahâba and from the Tâbi'în, who were their teachers. Even if all the hadîth communicators of the seventy-two sects gathered together they would not equal one-hundredth of the savants of hadîth of the Ahl as-sunnat Madhhab. That it does not exist in their books does not show that it does not exist at all. What will they say about the glad tidings in the Qur'ân? For example, the hundred and third âyat of **Tawba Sûra** purports, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ loves those who were first to become Believers, those who surpassed others in all kinds of virtue, also both the Muhâjirs who came from Mekka and the Ansâr who met them in Medina and helped them, also those who led in the front and those who followed them in goodness. He loves them all. And they love Allahu ta'âlâ, too. Allâhu ta'âlâ has prepared Paradise for them. They will stay in Paradise eternally."** The tenth âyat of **Hadîd Sûra** purports, **"Those who warred against the unbelievers and spent their property in the way of Allah before Mekka was conquered and those who did these after the conquest of Mekka** **are not equal, they are not the same. The former group are surely higher. Allâhu ta'âlâ has promised them all the Husnâ, that is, Paradise."** Since those who warred and sacrificed their possessions before and after the blessed city of Mekka was conquered were blessed with the glad tidings of Paradise, what should be said about the greatest ones of the Sahâba, who surpassed all others in sacrificing their possessions, in jihâd-i fî sabîlillâh and in being muhâjirs? Who on earth could assess the degree of their greatness? It is written in books of tafsîr that the expression, 'they are not the same,' in this âyat, was intended for Hadrat Abû Bakr Siddîq 'radiyallâhu anh'. For, he is ahead of all those who are ahead in sacrificing possessions, in performing jihâd. While explaining the glad tidings, **"Certainly, Allâhu ta'âlâ loves those Believers who have promised you under the tree,"** in the eighteenth âyat of **Fat'h Sûra** in his book of tafsîr titled **Ma'âlimut-Tanzîl** , Muhyissunna Imâm-i Baghâwî says: Jâbir bin Abdullah 'radiyallâhu anh', said that Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' had stated, **"None of those who promised me under the tree will go to Hell!"** This unanimous promise is called **Bi'at-urridwân**. For, Allâhu ta'âlâ loves them. [They were fourteen hundred people.] To say 'disbeliever' about a person who is blessed with the glad tidings of Paradise by the Qur'ân and by hadîths causes disbelief and is the most detestable thing.

**Fifth Preface:** Hadrat 'Umar's preventing the others from bringing paper was not disobedience. May Allah protect us against such a situation! Our Prophet's viziers, assistants each had the best moral character. Would any of them ever do such irreverence? Even the lowest Sahabî who was honoured with attending his sohbat once or twice or even any person who had been honoured with îmân and become one of his Ummat cannot be imagined to have disobeyed him. Can such a thing ever be thought about those great people who were among the greatest of the Muhâjir and the Ansâr and who were the dearest to him? May Allâhu ta'âlâ make them reasonable enough not to think ill of those great men of the dîn and not to speak without due reflection, without understanding or observing the matter.

Hadrat 'Umar's purpose was to ask, to understand. As a matter of fact, he said, "Ask him." That is, he meant to say, "Bring the paper if he really wants it. If he does not want it, let us not bother him at this critical time." For, if he had wanted it through wahy or command, he would have asked for it again and with importance; he would have written what he had been commanded to. A prophet 'alaihissalâm' has to announce the wahy. If his asking for the paper was not through wahy, through command, but if he was to write so out of ijtihâd or because he wished so, that critical time might not be convenient to do it. His Ummat would do ijtihâd after his death. Through ijtihâd they would deduce commandments from the Qur'ân, which is the basis of the dîn. While he was alive and the wahy was being revealed, his Ummat were doing ijtihâd. The wahy being stopped after his death, it would certainly be acceptable for men of knowledge to do ijtihâd. Our Prophet did not repeat or emphasize his demand for paper. On the contrary, he gave it up. Thus, it was realized that it was not wahy. It would never be wrong to hesitate for a while in order to see if it was a comment made in sleep. Angels wondered why Hadrat Adam became the Khalîfa and in order to know they asked, as is purported in the thirtieth âyat of **Baqara Sûra: "O our Allah! Are you going to create slaves who will instigate faction and shed blood on the earth? We are saying our tasbîh and hamd to Thee.** **We are paying our taqdîs to Thee."** Likewise, when Hadrat Zakariyyâ (a prophet) was given the good news that he would be given a son named Yahyâ, he said, as quoted in the eighth âyat of **Maryam sûra, "Is it ever possible for me to have a son? My wife is barren. And I have gotten old."** And Hadrat Maryam 'radiyallâhu anhâ', as quoted in the twentieth âyat of **Maryam Sûra, "Is it ever possible for me to have a child? I have never come together with a man. Nor have I ever sinned."** While it is not considered as a sin for prophets, angels and the great to ask such questions, why should it be a fault that Hadrat 'Umar asked about the bringing of paper? Why should it put him into a doubtful position?

**Sixth Preface:** We have to have a good opinion about the Sahâba of our Prophet'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. We have to know that the best of times is his 'alaihi wa alâ âlihissalâtu wassalâm' time and that the Sahâba are the best, the highest people after prophets. Thus, it will be realized that after our Prophet's 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' death the Sahâba, who are the best of all people, except for prophets, would not agree on something wrong and corrupt or put sinners and disbelievers in our Prophet's place. Why shouldn't all the Sahâba be superior to all other people, since the Qur'ân declares that this Ummat is superior to all the past ummats? And they are the highest among this Ummat. No Walî can reach the grade of a Sahabî. Then, we should be reasonable and think well? If Hadrat 'Umar's preventing the paper from being brought had been disbelief, would Abû Bakr Sıddîq 'radiy-Allâhu anh', who, as it is declared in the Qur'ân, was the best Allah-fearing Muslim, have chosen him the Khalîfa for his place? Would the Muhâjirs and the Ansâr have unamiously elected him the Khalîfa? Allâhu ta'âlâ praises the Muhâjirs and the Ansâr in the Qur'ân. He informs that He likes all and promises Paradise to them all. Would they have elected him for the Prophet's place? If a person has a good opinion about the Sahâba of our Master, the Prophet, he will get rid of such loathsome suppositions and doubts. Loving requires a good opinion. If our Prophet's sohbat and those who attended the sohbat are not considered with a good opinion and if - may Allah protect us - they are slandered, this slandering blemishes the owner of the sohbat and the Sahâba. It even blemishes the Owner of the owner, [that is, Allâhu ta'âlâ]. We should consider well how abominable such a case would be. It has been said that a person who slights the Sahâba has not believed in Allah's Prophet. For describing the greatness of the Sahâba, our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"He who loves them loves them because he loves me. He who bears hostility against them does so because he is my enemy."** Then, to love the Sahâba means to love him.

When these six prefaces are comprehended there will no longer be any place for doubt. In fact, one will be equipped with various responses. These prefaces save one from doubt without any need to think. Besides, it is obvious that such doubts are out of place. The prefaces are intended not to explain the corruptness of such doubts, but to remind us of the fact which is so obvious. According to this faqîr (Imâm-i Rabbânî means himself), such doubts can be exemplified as follows: If a clever person approaches a group of idiots and proves through various lies that a piece of gold happening to be in front of them at the moment is a piece of stone, the poor idiots, being unable to make out the unsound aspects of his lies because they do not understand that he is lying, will begin doubting. They will even begin thinking of the gold as stones. They will forget, or even disbelieve, what they have seen. But a clever person will believe what he sees clearly and will realize that the words disagreeing with it are wrong. Likewise, the Qur'ân and hadîths have announced the greatness and the highness of the three Khalîfas and even of all the Sahâba as obviously as the sun and shown it to everybody. Trying to traduce these great people through mendacious and falsely-adorned words is like misrepresenting the gold before the eyes as stone. O our Allah! After guiding us to the right way, do not let our hearts slip out of this way. Have mercy upon us! Only Thine mercy is so plentiful!

I wonder why they slander and speak ill of the great men of the dîn, who are Islam's eye-apples? It is not a worship, a virtue, a means to save one from Hell to speak ill of even one of those people who the Sharî'at calls disbelievers or sinners. What good is it, then, to slander those who helped the dîn, those who defended Islam? It is not commanded by the Sharî'at to curse even Abû Jahl or Abû Lahab, who were Rasûlullah's mortal enemies. Perhaps it is more proper not to waste time mentioning their names.

Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the last âyat of **Fat'h Sûra, "They always do much good to one another."** Then, to think that these great people were hostile against one another, to suppose that they bore grudges against one another, means to disbelieve the Qur'ân. To say that they were hostile against one another and that they bore grudges against one another means to slander both sides and to cause them to fall out of favour and trust. It means to make the best people after the Prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât' the worst of people, to make the best of times the worst of times, if the people of that time are represented as having borne hostility and grudges against one another. Does anyone with îmân ever say so or think so? In order to praise Hadrat Alî 'radiyallâhu anh', to say that the three other Khalîfas were hostile against him and that he bore grudges against them, too, means to slander both sides. Why should they not love one another? None of them had any ardent desire for the caliphate; why should they be hostile against one another, then? Abû Bakr Siddîq's word is well-known: 'Excuse me from the caliphate." And Hadrat 'Umar said, "If there were anyone to buy it, I would sell this caliphate for one gold coin."

[Imâm-i Rabbânî 'rahmatullâhi aleyh' says in his book titled **Radd-i Rawâfid:** Hadrat Alî admitted Abû Bakr Siddîq's caliphate willingly. The Shi'îs, who, too, knew this fact, had to say, "He admitted it unwillingly," and they said no more. However, after Rasûlullah died, the Sahâba embarked on the job of appointing the Khalîfa before the interment. They knew it was wâjib, necessary. For, the Prophet had commanded that the guilty should be punished as it was prescribed by the Sharî'at, that they should be ready for war, in addition to other things which the government would do. It was wâjib to elect the representative who would execute these wâjibs. Therefore, Hadrat Abû Bakr 'radiyallâhu anh' stood up and said, "If you worship Hadrat Muhammad, know that he has passed away. If you worship Allâhu ta'âlâ know that He never dies, His life is endless. You have to choose someone to carry out His commandments. Think, find, and choose!" Everybody said he was right. Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' immediately stood up and said, "We want you, o Abâ Bakr!" All of those who were present there said, "We have elected you." Then Hadrat Abû Bakr mounted the minbar and looked around. "I cannot see Zubayr. Call him," he said, When Zubayr came Hadrat Abû Bakr said to him, "The Muslims have elected me as the Khalîfa. Will you disagree with their unanimity?" "O you, the Messenger's Khalîfa! I do not disagree with the unanimity," replied Zubayr. He held out his hand in admittance. Then Hadrat Abû Bakr mounted the minbar and looked around. He could not see Hadrat Alî. He told others to call him. When Hadrat Alî came, he repeated his question to him, who, also, said, "I do not disagree," and held out his hand and did musâfaha (shook hands in a manner prescribed by Islam) with him in admittance. Hadrat Alî and Zubayr apologized to the Khalîfa for being late for the election, and said, "We didn't come because we had not been notified in advance. We are sorry about it. We see that who is worthy of the caliphate among us is Abû Bakr. For, he was Rasûlullah's companion in the cave. He is the most honoured, the best of us. Rasûlullah chose him as the imâm from among us. He performed namâz behind him." If Hadrat Abû Bakr had not been worthy of the caliphate, Hadrat Alî would not have admitted him and would have said, "It is my right." As a matter of fact, he refused Hadrat Muâwiyya's being the Khalîfa. He strove hard so that he himself would be the Khalîfa although Hadrat Muâwiyya's army was very strong. Thus, he caused many people to die. Since he asked for his right at such a difficult situation, it would have been much easier to ask for it from Hadrat Abû Bakr if he had considered it his right. He would have asked to be chosen, and that would have been done immediately. After choosing Hadrat Abû Bakr the Khalîfa and paying homage to him, Hadrat Alî sat in front of the minbar. In their next conversation he gave effective answers to the Khalîfa's questions and supported him.

Ghaws-i a'zam, Sayyid Abdulqâdir-i Geilânî, one of the greatest guides of the Sôfiyya-i âliyya, begins to write as follows on the eighty-fourth page of the Egypt-1322 edition, which coincides with the hundred and fourteenth page of the Istanbul-1303 edition of its Turkish translation, of his book titled **Ghunyat-ut-tâlibîn** , which he wrote in order to teach the Islamic dîn to his disciples and to all other young people and to correct their beliefs:

"According to the Ahl as-sunnat, Hadrat Muhammad's Ummat is higher than the ummats of other prophets. And the highest ones of this Ummat are the Sahâba, who had îmân in him, who were honoured with seeing his blessed face, and all of whom obeyed him and sacrificed their possessions and lives for his sake. It was their first duty to do his commands, and they were his assistants in everything he did. And the highest ones of the Sahâba were those heroes who paid their homage to Rasûlullah and promised him that they were ready to die for his sake in Hudaybiyya. They were fourteen hundred people. The highest ones among them are those who were in the holy war of Badr, who were, like the soldiers of Tâlût, three hundred and thirteen people. [Also, there are three hundred and thirteen letters in the first volume of Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî's **Maktûbât.** ] The highest among them are the forty people who became Muslim first and the fortieth one is Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh'. Thirty-four of them are men and six are women. The highest among them are the Ashara-i mubashshara, that is, the people who were given the glad tidings that they would go to Paradise. These are Abû Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmân, 'Alî, Talha, Zubayr bin Awwâm, Abdurrahmân bin Awf, Sa'd ibni Abî Waqqâs, Sa'îd bin Zayd, Abu Ubayda bin Jarrâh. Their highest ones are the Khulafâ-i râshidîn, that is, the four Khalîfas, and the highest among them is Abû Bakr, then 'Umar, then Uthmân, and then Alî 'radiyallâhu anhum ajma'în'. Of these four, Hadrat Abû Bakr served as Rasûlullah's Khalîfa for two years and four months. Hadrat 'Umar served as the Khalîfa for ten years, Hadrat Uthmân for twelve years, and Hadrat Alî for six years. After him, Hadrat Muâwiyya served as the Khalîfa for nineteen years plus several months. Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' had formerly appointed him governor of Damascus. He had served as the governor for twenty years. The caliphates of the four were through the wish and unanimity of the Sahâba and because each was the highest of his time. They were not obtained by force, by using power, or by either one's cheating another one of his rights, who was higher than he. Abû Bakr Siddîq became the Khalîfa with the unanimity of the Muhâjirs and of the Ansâr, as follows: when Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' passed away, the Ansâr-i kirâm said, "Let one amîr be from you and one amîr be from us." Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' stood up and said, "O you, Ansâr! Have you forgotten how Rasûlullah called Abû Bakr, **'the imâm of my Sahâba'?"** They said, "We know, O 'Umar." Hadrat 'Umar went on, "Is anyone among you higher than Abû Bakr?" "We trust ourselves to Allah's protection from considering ourselves higher than Abû Bakr," was the answer from all the Ansâr. Then, when Hadrat 'Umar asked, "Who among you would tolerate to remove Abû Bakr from the ranking office where Rasûlullah appointed him?" The Ansâr said, "None of us will tolerate it. We trust ourselves to Allah's protection from removing Abû Bakr." Cooperating with the Muhâjirs, they appointed Hadrat Abû Bakr the Khalîfa. Hadrat Alî and Zubayr came there later. Both admitted the Khalîfa. Hadrat Abû Bakr Siddîq stood up three times and said each time, "Is there anyone among you who has given up choosing me the Khalîfa?" Hadrat Alî who was sitting in the front stood up and said, "None of us gives up. Nor shall we ever think of giving up. Rasûlullah has put you ahead of us all. Who on earth can remove you back?" Thus, we have understood through strong and sound witnesses that who wanted Hadrat Abû Bakr Siddîq to become the Khalîfa and uttered the most influential words was Hadrat Alî. For example, after the Camel Event, Abdullah bin Kawâ' came to Hadrat Alî and said, "Did Rasûlullah tell you anything about the caliphate?" Hadrat Alî replied, "First we mind our duty concerning the dîn. The archstone of the dîn is namâz. And we like and choose for the world what Allâhu ta'âlâ and His Messenger have chosen from among us. We have therefore made Abû Bakr the Kahlîfa." As Rasûlullah was sick during the final days of his life, he appointed Hadrat Abû Bakr the imâm for his own place so that he would conduct the prayers of namâz being performed. Each time Hadrat Bilâl-i Habashî called the adhân, he (Rasûlullah) used to say, "Tell Abû Bakr to be the imâm for the people." Rasûlullah said many words signifying that after him Hadrat Abû Bakr would be the most suitable for the caliphate, and that each of 'Umar, 'Uthmân and Alî was the most suitable for the caliphate among the people of his time."

Abdulqâdir-i Geilânî, after giving detailed information about the superiorities and the caliphates of Abû Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmân, Alî and Hasan in his book says: "When Hadrat Alî became a martyr, Imâm-i Hasan wanted to give up the caliphate lest Muslims' blood would be shed and so that they would live peacefully. He ceded it to Hadrat Mu'âwiyya. He began to act in obedience to his commands. From that day on the caliphate of Mu'âwiyya 'radiyallâhu anh' was right and sahîh. Thus, the meaning of Rasûlullah's hadîth, **'This son of mine is a sayyid. That is, he is great. Through him Allâhu ta'âlâ will reconcile two great groups with each other,'** came about. As it is seen, Hadrat Mu'âwiyya became the Khalîfa compatibly with the Sharî'at, since Imâm-i Hasan obeyed him. Thus, the disagreement between the two groups of Muslims came to an end completely. The Tâbi'în, the Taba-i tâbi'în and all Muslims over the world recognized Hadrat Mu'âwiyya as the Khalîfa. As Sarwar-i âlam (Rasûlullah) said to Hadrat Mu'âwiyya, ' **When you become the Khalîfa, act mildly and administer them well!'** so another hadîth declares, **'The Islamic mill will go on for thirty-five years or thirty-seven years.'** By saying 'mill,' our Master, the Prophet, wanted to signify the strength and soundness of the dîn. Thirty years of this duration of time being completed with the four Khalîfas plus Hadrat Hasan, the remaining five or seven years was the time of Hadrat Mu'âwiyya's caliphate." Discoursing upon the predictions which Rasûlullah made about future events, the second volume of **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya** states: "Ibni Asâkir reports that Rasûlullah stated to Hadrat Mu'âwiyya, **'After me, you will preside over my Ummat. Then do favours to the good and forgive the wrong-doers?'** Again, Ibni Asâkir informs that Rasûlullah stated, **'Mu'âwiyya will never be overcome.** ' In the combat of Siffîn, Hadrat Alî said, 'If this hadîth had occurred to me, I would not have fought Mu'âwiyya.' [There is detailed information about Hadrat Mu'âwiyya in the Arabic book **Annâhiyatu an ta'n-i amîr-ul-mu'minîn Mu'âwiyyata** , by Allâma Abdul' Azîz Farhârî Hindî.]

Rasûlullah pointed to Hadrat Hasan and said: **'Know that this son of mine is sayyid. In the near future Allâhu ta'âlâ will reconcile two great groups of Muslim soldiers through this son of mine.** ' When Hadrat Alî was martyred more than forty thousand people elected Hadrat Hasan Khalîfa. He remained as the Khalîfa for seven months in Iraq and Khorasan. Then, with a great army he marched against Hadrat Mu'âwiyya. When the two armies met, Hadrat Hasan, realising that neither side would win unless many people died on the opposite side, wrote a letter to Hadrat Mu'âwiyya lest the Muslims' blood would be shed. He ceded the caliphate to him on some conditions.

Imâm-i Bayhakî says that Hadrat Alî said that he had heard Rasûlullah say, ' **Of my Ummat, some people will appear who will** **be called Râfidî. They will dissent from Islam.' "**

Hadrat Alî's fighting against Hadrat Mu'âwiyya [contrary to what the historians suppose] was not for the caliphate. It was because it was fard to fight against bâghîs (the disobedient). It was intended to quell a riot. The ninth âyat of **Hujurât Sûra** commands, **"Fighting the rebels, make them obey!"** However, because there were religious reasons for their rebellion, and because each of them was a savant in the grade of ijtihâd, none of them can be slandered though they had a wrong ijtihâd. They cannot be said to be disbelievers or sinners. Hadrat Alî said about the rebels, "Our brothers have revolted against us. They are not disbelievers or sinners. For, they have done what they inferred from the Qur'ân." [There is detailed information about ijtihâd in the two Arabic books titled **Minhat-ul-wahhâbiyya** and **Ulamâ'ul-muslimîn wal-wahhâbiyyûn,** which are reproduced by photocopy in Istanbul.]

Hadrat Imâm-i Shâfi'î 'rahmatullâhi aleyh' said, "As Allâhu ta'âlâ has protected our hands from being imbrued with their blood, so let us keep quiet and not imbrue our tongues!" So had 'Umar bin Abdul'aziz said.

O our Allah! Forgive us and our Muslim brothers preceding us! May prayers and salâm be upon our Prophet Hadrat Muhammad, who is the dearest of creatures, and upon his close relatives and upon all his Sahâba 'ridwânullâhi alaihim ajma'în' until Doomsday! Âmîn.

[Note: the savants of the Ahl as-sunnat wrote very many books giving answers and advice to the Shi'îs. The names of thirty-two of these books and their authors are appended to the 29th chapter of the second fascicle of **Endless Bliss**.]

29 - FIFTH VOLUME, 36th LETTER

The combats among the Sahâba were because of disagreements in ijtihâd. Those who fought one another loved one another, too. It was like parents beating their childern.

[At several places in my book, I have explained the words and articles of the savants of the Ahl as-sunnat, revealing the greatness, the superiority of the Sahâba. Qayyûm-i Rabbânî Muhammad Ma'thûm-i Fârûqî Sarhandî, in answering the eighth question, says in the thirty-sixth letter of the second volume of his **Maktûbât:** ]

Hadrat Alî, who was mercy from head to foot, never cursed any Muslim, let alone his having cursed our Prophet's Sahâba, particularly Hadrat Mu'âwiyya, over whom he (Rasûlullah) had pronounced benedictions various times. Hadrat Alî said about Mu'âwiyya and those who were with him, "Our brothers disagree with us. They are not disbelievers or sinners. They act upon their own ijtihâd." This statement of his keeps disbelief and sinfulness away from them. Could it ever be the case, then, that he cursed them! It is not an act of worship in Islam to curse anybody, nor even a disbeliever. While it is necessary to send prayers after each of the five prayers of namâz each day, could he ever have uttered maledictions because of his personal enmity instead of praying? Do they think Hadrat Alî's nafs, which had reached the highest grade of Fanâ in tasawwuf and the end of itmi'nân and which had gotten rid of personal desires, was steeped in a grudge, stubbornness and enmity, like their own nafses? They slander that very exalted person so basely. Hadrat Alî had reached the highest grades of Fanâ-fillah and muhabbat-i Rasûlillah, and had sacrificed his life and property for his 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' sake. Why at that time of prayer didn't he curse Allâhu ta'âlâ's and His Messenger's 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' enemies who had tormented our Master, the Prophet, the sultân of both worlds, by all methods of tormenting, but would curse his own enemies, instead? In actual fact, Hadrat Alî's statement, "They act upon their own ijtihâd," shows that he was not their enemy.

Essentially, those wars and combats did not originate from enmity or a grudge. They originated from ijtihâd, from knowledge of the dîn. Blame whatsoever, therefore, is out of place, let alone cursing them. If slandering a person or cursing him were an act of worship, it would be one of Islam's requirements to curse Iblis-i la'în (the Devil), Abû Jahl, Abû Lahab, and the furious disbelievers of the Quoreish, who hurt, tormented and tortured our Master, the Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', and who were hostile, perfidious and perversely against Islam. Since it has not been commanded to curse the enemies, could it ever be (an act deserving) thawâb to curse friends? Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"If a person curses the Devil, he** (the Devil) **says, 'I have already become accursed. This cursing will not harm me.' But if he says, 'O my Allah! Protect me against the Devil,' the Devil says, 'Alas! You have broken my backbone.'** " And another hadîth states, **"Do not curse the Devil! Trust yourself to Allâhu ta'âlâ against his harm."** This means to say such words are slanders against Hadrat Alî and mean to traduce him. Furthermore, to say that Hadrat Mu'âwiyya began cursing Hadrat Alî, Hadrat Hasan, Hadrat Hussain and others 'radiyallâhu anhum ajma'în' means to slander Hadrat Mu'âwiyya. They never cursed one another. The Madhhab of the Ahl as-sunnat wa'l-jamâ'at is such that it is not permissible to speak ill of Hadrat Mu'âwiyya and that that allegation is a slander against him. In addition, there is not one true report communicating it. If the historians say so, how can their words ever be a witness? Basic information of the dîn cannot be established on the words of historians. Here, the words of Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa and his companions are taken into consideration, not the words of historians or the information written in the tafsîr of **Kashshâf.** The names of Hadrat Alî and Hadrat Mu'âwiyya are not mentioned in **Kashshâf.** There is not even a sign showing that those two superiors of the dîn cursed each other. Nevertheless, those pieces of writing in **Kashshâf** are true, too. There is no need to try to deduce good meanings from them, since there is nothing disagreeing with the Ahl as-sunnat in them? Yes, the Khalîfas of Amawî (Umayyads) let the Ahl-i bayt be cursed for years on minbars. 'Umar bin Abdul'aziz 'rahmatullâhi aleyh' put an end to it. May Allâhu ta'âlâ reward him plentifully through our prayers! But, though Hadrat Mu'âwiyya was one of the Khalîfas of the Umayyads, he cannot be spoken ill of. If Hadrat Mu'âwiyya is cursed and slandered, a great number of the Sahâba, and even a few of the Ashara-i mubashshara, who were with him in those disagreements and combats, will have been cursed. And slandering those superiors of the dîn will abrogate the information of the dîn coming to us through them. No Muslim will tolerate or admit this.

The Shi'îs slander the three Khalîfas and Hadrat Mu'âwiyya and those who followed him in ijtihâd. They swear at them. They say that after our Master, the Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', all the Sahâba with a few exceptions became renegades. But according to the Madhhab of the Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-jamâ'at, nothing but good terms can be said about all the Sahâba. None of them is bad or evil. While explaining the hadîths of **Muslim,** Imâm-i Yahyâ bin Sharaf Nawawî says that in those combats the Sahâba parted into three groups. One group had ijtihâd agreeing with that of Hadrat Alî 'radiyallâhu anh'. It became wâjib for them to choose the way suitable with their own ijtihâd. They helped Hadrat Alî. The second group of the Sahâba could not distinguish the right side in their ijtihâd. It became wâjib for them not to interfere with anybody. The ijtihâd of the third group agreed with that of those who opposed Hadrat Alî. It became wâjib for those who had this ijtihâd to help the opposing side. This means to say that each group acted suitably with their own ijtihâd. For this reason, it is not right to blame any of them. However, Hadrat Alî and those who followed him, because their ijtihâd agreed with his, found out what was right; those who were against them erred in their ijtihâd. But they cannot be slandered because of their erring in ijtihâd. Those who erred received one thawâb. Those who found out what was right received ten thawâbs. It is not right even to say they erred. Those who erred should also be remembered in good terms. This means to say that a person who dislikes Hadrat Mu'âwiyya 'radiyallâhu anh' and curses him cannot be in the Ahl as-sunnat wa 'l-jamâ'at, even if he has a good opinion of all the Sahâba and loves them. Even the Shi'îs do not like such a person. For, the Shi'îs' liking a person requires his being hostile against the three Khalîfas and swearing at them. Such a person, therefore, is neither Sunnî nor Shi'î. He is in a third madhhab.

[A good and correct understanding of the disagreements among the Sahâba requires reading those books on belief which explain all the particulars clearly and one by one. We should not believe in recently written histories, incoherent, unsound words, encyclopedias or magazines!

It is surprising that Cevdet Pasha says in his book **Qisâs-i anbiyâ** (History of Prophets), "Upon seeing that his own government was weakening and Mu'âwiyya's power increasing, Hadrat Alî became sorry and worried, and began to utter maledictions against Mu'âwiyya and six others. And, hearing of this, Mu'âwiyya also uttered maledictions against Hadrat Alî, Ibni Abbâs, Hasan and Husayn." While narrating the events of Camel and Siffîn, he uses unbecoming terms about some Sahâbîs. Also, Shamsaddîn Sâmî, in his book **Qâmûs-ul-a'lâm** , shows disrespect toward Hadrat Mu'âwiyya and some other Sahâbîs by uttering such sentences as a Muslim could not utter about them. His showing such disrespect is not so surprising. For, he shows disrespect toward Allâhu ta'âlâ, too, in his book titled **Toprak.** He does not hesitate to demote Allâhu ta'âlâ to the low grade of a slave, a substance. But Cevdet Pasha's credulity in believing in the Abbâsîd histories and the Râfidî books astonishes us. For, his **Qisâs-i anbiyâ** is a dependable and valuable book which narrates Rasûlullah's life and Islamic history in detail and explicitly and which is known to be true. It ranks first among the books to be recommended to those who would like to learn Islamic history. He also writes reasonably and correctly about the combats among the Sahâba and their reasons. For example, he says on the 438th page, "Abruptly, the danger of apostasy grew great. Terror was everywhere. The officials in Yemen and in other places began to return, bringing bad news with them. The Muslims were all confused like a flock of sheep caught by heavy rain on a dark night. Compared with the number of renegades, the Muslims were very few. But Rasûlullah's Khalîfa resolved never to change the improvements of the time of sa'âdat (Hadrat Muhammad's time), and to fulfill Rasûlullah's intentions. He resigned himself to fighting the renegades. He sent troops everywhere. Making a vehement night attack on the enemy who had been getting ready to attack Medina, he fought until morning. He dispersed them all. He mounted his camel and together with his soldiers meant to leave for a war against those disbelievers who were far away. But Hadrat Alî 'radiyallâhu anh' held the halter of the Khalîfa's camel, and said, 'O you, the Messenger's Khalîfa! Where are you going? Let me repeat to you what Rasûlullah told you during the war of Uhud. That day he said to you, **"Put your sword back into its sheath! Don't burn us with your death!"** I swear by Allah that if something should happen to you the Muslims will not be put in order after you.' All the Sahâba endorsed Hadrat Alî. Upon this Hadrat Khalîfa went back to Medina.

See their love for each other, especially right after their harsh talks during the Khalîfa election! Allah's lion, Hadrat Alî, who would never submit himself to anybody, and who had delayed the voting for Hadrat Abû Bakr because he had not been invited to the Khalîfa election was preventing him from going to war. If his heart bore a tiny mote of grudge against him he would think, 'Let the Khalîfa go to war. I will take his place if something happens to him,' or at least it would not interest him that he was going.

And such a high person as Abû Bakr 'radiy-Allâhu anh' who would never hesitate to give away his life for the sake of the dîn, would obviously never listen to anybody's request to give up as he was beginning such an important worship as jihâd, but now he gave up his intention just because, no doubt, he believed in the rightness of Hadrat Alî's opinion and word and listened to him. Hence, it is understood that the thoughts and the talks of all of them were intended to serve the Islamic dîn.

If those eccentric people who think and write that some of the Sahâba were fond of the world studied these examples of their behavior with attention, they would secure themselves against the sin of having an ill opinion of these great people."

In order to ingratiate themselves with Sultans and to obtain property and posts, the Abbâsid historians did not hesitate to distort the facts or to falsify the written accounts of events, and they began cruelly to slander the Umayyads. Because the Abbâsid Khalîfas were hostile against the Umayyads, the historians, in order to obtain worldly advantages, sacrificed knowledge for the sake of politics. The Ottomans being closer to the Abbâsids with respect to time and being their neighbor in respect of land, ignorant historians translated the Abbâsid histories word for word; even Cevdet Pasha could not avoid this trend. Historians, on the one hand, the Shi'îs, on the other hand, who were the dregs of Shah Ismâ'il's routed army and who took refuge in the dervish convents, imbued the Turks with Râfidism and with hostility against the Sahâba. Those who escaped the calamity were only those who learned the truth of the matter from the books of the Ahl as-sunnat savants. May Allâhu ta'âlâ help those who are on the right way! Âmîn.

It is written in **Maraj-ul-bahrayn** that Hakîm bin Tirmuzî says, "Though there has been an increase in my knowledge, in my good deeds and in my struggling for Islam as I get older, I can no longer find any of those nûrs and effects which I attained in my youth. This is something which I could not understand until recently, when it was inspired into my heart that because the time of my youth was closer (than now) to the time of Hadrat Muhammad the state which I was in then was higher." Since the times closer to that time are so valuable, we should realize how valuable that time itself was. It is for this reason that it is written in **Qût-ul-qulûb,** "To see that blessed face of Rasûlullah's once, or to sit in his presence only for a while, makes one attain such blessings as cannot be obtained in halwats or arbaîns, which means mortification of the flesh for forty days, at other times." Also the great Walîs who were matured at other times were promoted by receiving fayd from the spiritual sohbat of Rasûlullah.]

30 - SECOND VOLUME, 99th LETTER

**This letter was written to Sayyid Muhammad Nu'mân. It explains why some Awliyâ, while making progress on a path of** **tasawwuf, see themselves in the grade of the Sahâba, why so many calamities and sufferings befell Prophets in the world, and gives information on 'adam, Fanâ and Baqâ:**

Bismillâhirrahmânirrahîm. Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Salâm to those slaves of His whom He has chosen!

**Question:** As a sâlik makes progress on a path of tasawwuf, he sometimes visualizes himself in the grade of the Sahâba, who are superior to him with the unanimity. He even sees himself in the grade of prophets. How does that happen? Some people think that the sâlik says he is in the grade of the owners of those ranks. So they do not believe what the sâlik says. They even censure him. What is its reason?

**Answer:** Low people going up to the grades of the high is like poor people going to the doors of the rich or to the homes of the owners of favours, asking for what they need from them, and attaining their favours. Those who think that such people going up to those grades means to become equal to the owners of the grades must be ignorant. This promotion of theirs is sometimes intended for them to see the grades and yearn for them. It is like going to see the palaces and villas of sultans and princes in the world. It would be idiocy to think that such people have become equal to sultans and princes. Servants enter their master's private rooms to serve them. To sweep or dust, they approach the sultans.

Sufferings shower upon the afflicted from every direction.

Some people look for a pretext to blame, or slander a poor person. May Allâhu ta'âlâ give them reason! They should have looked for a way to protect a lonely dervish from slander and calumny. They should have striven to protect a Muslim's chastity and honour.

Those who calumniate the sâliks who are made to ascend to those grades may be of two groups:

If they say that the sâlik thinks that he is equal to the owners of the grades, they have deemed the sâlik as a disbeliever, a zindîq. For, if a person considers himself equal to prophets, he becomes a disbeliever. It has been communicated by the Sahâba and the Tâbi'în unanimously that the Shaikhayn [Abû Bakr and 'Umar 'alaihimurridwân'] are superior to all other Muslims. Our imâms of the dîn write this unanimity in their books. One of them is Imâm-i Shâfi'î. All the Sahâba are superior to all other Muslims who came after them. For, no superiority can be like the superiority in the sohbat of the Best of Mankind. In that age when Islam was so weak and Muslims were so few, a small action done by the Sahâba to strengthen Islam and to help the Master of Prophets was given so much thawâb that others cannot get that much thawâb even if they spend all their lives with strict and heavy mortifications and by worshipping all the time. For this reason our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' declared: **"If any one of my Ummat gives alms in gold as big as Uhud mountain, he will not get so much thawâb as that which is given for my As'hâb's alms of one mud of barley."** [One mud is equal to two ritls; one ritl is a hundred and thirty dirham-i shar'î. One dirham-i shar'î is 3.365 grams. One mud is a unit of weight which weighs 875 grams.]

The reason why Hadrat Abû Bakr Siddîq 'radiyallâhu anh' is the highest of the Ummat is because he was ahead of others in being converted to Islam, in sacrificing most of his property and his life, and in every kind of service. The tenth âyat of **Hadîd Sûra, "There is a higher grade for the person who sacrificed his property and who performed jihâd before the conquest of Mekka than the grade which is for the person who gave away his property and who made jihâd after the conquest. Allâhu ta'âlâ has promised them all Paradise,"** was sent down for Hadrat Abû Bakr. Taking the virtues and events into consideration, some people hesitate to admit that he is the highest. They do not know that if virtues and wonders were the reasons for superiority, any Muslim who had more virtues and wonders than his own Prophet would necessarily be superior to his Prophet. This means to say that the mystery, the reason for superiority is something other than virtues and wonders. According to this faqîr, the reason is to be ahead of others in strengthening the dîn, in helping Allah's dîn by sacrificing property and life. He who is ahead of the whole Ummat will certainly be superior to them all. Anyone who is ahead will be superior to those following him. Those who are ahead are the religious masters, teachers of those who follow them. Those who follow are illuminated with the nûrs of those who precede them and benefit from their barakats. In this Ummat, after our Prophet 'alaihi wa alâ âlihissalawâtu wassalâm', the next owner of this fortune, of this happiness, is Abû Bakr Siddîq 'radiyallâhu anh'. For, he is ahead of the leaders in strengthening the dîn, in sacrificing his property, performing jihâd, struggling hard and losing his fame and honour for helping the highest of Prophets. Then, he is higher than all others.

Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' wished that Islam's exaltation and strengthening would be through 'Umar-ul-Fârûq. Allâhu ta'âlâ made him sufficient to help His beloved Prophet. He declared in the sixty-fourth âyat of **Anfâl Sûra: "O My Prophet! Allâhu ta'âlâ and those Believers who follow thee will suffice in helping thee."** Abdullah ibni Abbâs 'radiyallâhu anhumâ' said, "This âyat descended when 'Umar-ul-Fârûq became a Muslim." Then, after Abû Bakr Siddîq, he is the highest one. It is for this reason that the Sahâba and the Tâbi'în declared unanimously that these two were the highest. Hadrat Alî 'radiyallâhu anh' said, "Abû Bakr and 'Umar are the highest of the Ummat. He who thinks I am higher than they are is a slanderer. As slanderers will be beaten, I will beat him with a stick." I have explained these in detail in my other letters. [The superiority of these two is explained in detail in the book **Qurrat-ul-'aynayn** and in the Turkish book **, As'hâb-i kirâm**.]

It is idiocy to consider oneself equal to the Sahâba. It is ignorance to liken oneself to the superior people who came earlier. Let us mention also that the superiority caused by the honour of being earlier is peculiar to those who attained the sohbat of the Best of Mankind in the first century (of Islam). This rule does not apply to the later centuries. Those who came in the later centuries may be superior to those who came in the centuries previous to them. In fact, of those who are in the same century, the later ones may be higher than the earlier ones [the disciple may surpass his master]. May Allâhu ta'âlâ awaken those who slander them from the sleep of unawareness! It is so base, so abominable to gossip about a Muslim, to swear at him thinking that he is guilty. It is stubbornness, a grudge to say that a Muslim is a heretic or that he is a disbeliever through illusion or supposition. Those who commit such slanders without any grounds become heretical, they become disbelievers. The hadîth states that this is so.

Let us come back to our subject. Let us explain the second group of those who speak ill of the sâliks. They do not say 'disbelievers' or 'heretical' about those sâliks who say that they are in those grades, yet one of the two possibilities may be the case: they say that the Sâlik is a liar. This means to think ill of a Muslim and is harâm. But if they believe what he says and know that he does not claim to be equal to the great, there will no longer be any reason for their slandering him. Why do they swear at him, then? True kashf should be interpreted in a good sense. The owners of true kashf should not be blamed, or bad and ugly words should not be said about them.

**Question:** Suppose those who gossip about him said, "Why should the sâliks reveal that state of theirs which will cause instigation and gossip?"

**Answer:** The great men of tasawwuf have divulged such states of theirs often. In fact, it has become a custom. They have divulged such states of theirs with good intentions, for honest purposes. Its reason sometimes is that they want to find out if such doubtful states of theirs are right or wrong by divulging them to their murshids. And sometimes they have divulged them in order to encourage yougsters. And sometimes, without any reason whatsover, they only utter it inadvertently, which happens during the spiritual intoxication on a path of tarîqat. He who divulges such states for fame, in order to advertise himself, is a liar. If he has such a state, it is harmful to him; it is istidrâj.

**Question:** Prophets have always lived with hardships and calamities. In fact, it has been stated, **"Disasters and troubles come upon prophets most. Next they come upon the Awliyâ, and then upon those who are like them."** On the other hand, the thirtieth âyat of **Shûrâ Sûra** purports, **"The disasters which come upon you are punishment for your sins."** According to the âyat, a multitude of disasters signifies a multitude of sins. Those who are not prophets should suffer more adversity. Why does He send calamities and difficulties upon those whom He loves? How can those who are beloved to Him be in difficulties and problems while His enemies are in comfort and blessings?

**Answer:** The world was not created for pleasures, for flavour. It is the next world which was created for such purposes. This world and the next are opposites. To please one of them will offend the other. In other words, to look for pleasures in one of them will cause you to suffer difficulties in the other. Then, those who have had many benefits in the world [if they do not fulfil the thanks for them] will fear much and will suffer many hardships in the next world. Likewise, a Believer who has suffered much in the world [though he has done his best to keep away from dangers] will attain many blessings in the next world. The world's life, when compared with the long duration of the next world, is not even a drop of water compared with something endless? So, pitying His beloved ones, He makes them suffer hardships for a few days in the world so that they will attain endless blessings. Playing tricks on His enemies, He gives them a little gain, and thus drags them towards bitter pains, a case which is called istidrâj.

**Question:** A poor disbeliever suffers hardships in both this world and the next. The difficulties which he suffers in the world will not cause him to attain benefits in the next world. What is its reason?

**Answer:** The disbeliever is Allah's enemy. He must be tormented eternally. Not to torment him in the world, to let him live as he wishes, means a favour, a pleasure for him. It is for this reason that it has been stated, **"The world is disbelievers' Paradise."** Not only favours are done to some disbelievers by not tormenting them in the world, but also they are given additional blessings and favours. To others favours are done by only not tormenting them, though they are not given any blessings in addition. There are always hidden ultimate divine causes, useful reasons in these cases.

**Question:** Allâhu ta'âlâ is Almighty. If He gave His beloved ones blessings and benefits in both this world and the next, and if the advantages He gave them in the world did not cause them to suffer sorrows in the next world, would it not be better?

**Answer:** There are various answers to this:

**Answer 1:** If they did not suffer cares and disasters in the world, they would not appreciate the endless favours in Paradise, nor would they appreciate the blessing of endless comfort and health. He who does not suffer hunger will not get pleasure from eating. He who does not suffer difficulties will not appreciate comfort. To give them hardships in the world is sort of intended to increase the eternal flavour. These hardships are blessings, and the blessings given to the great are guised in adversity in order to test ignorant people. What is represented as problems to aliens is blessings to the beloved ones.

**Answer 2:** Disasters, hardships are problems to the ignorant, yet anything coming from their Beloved tastes sweet to those great people. As they take pleasure from the blessings, so they take pleasure from the hardships. In fact, being the Beloved's wish, with which their own desires have not been mixed, the problems taste sweeter. Such flavour cannot be found in the blessings. For, the blessings contain the desires of their nafs, too. When a calamity comes upon them, their nafs weeps, moans. Those great people like the adversities more than the blessings. The adversities taste to them sweeter than the blessings. The flavour which they taste in the world originates from calamities and disasters. If it weren't for hardships and disasters in the world, the world would mean nothing to them. If it weren't for the world's painful events, the world would look empty and nonsensical to them. Translation from a Persian poem:

My purpose in loving you  
Is to taste cares and sorrows.

Were my wish not so; well,  
The world has many other tastes.

Then, Allah's lovers are in pleasures and are happy in both this world and the next. The pleasures which they get from hardships do not detract from the pleasures of the next world. What eliminates the pleasures of the next world is the kind of flavour which is looked for by the ignorant. O our Rabb (Allah)! What a great favour it is which Thou doest to Thine lovers! The blessings which Thou givest to others are Thine compassion to them, too. And what is trouble, pain to others is, again, a blessing to them. Others become happy when the blessing comes. But these great people are happy both in favours and in difficulties. For, they do not care if the deed is beautiful or ugly. What they care for is the beauty of the One who does the deed. He is the most beautiful of the beautiful. Since He who does the deed is beloved, His deed is beloved and tastes sweet, too. Because everything in the world is the deed of the beautiful Maker, no matter if it causes harm and trouble, it is for them what they love and desire. It tastes sweet to them. O our Allah! What kind of favour and blessing is it that Thou sendest these secret and valuable gifts to Thine lovers without letting the outsiders know of them! Making them content with Thine Wish every moment, Thou keepest them in pleasures and flavours! What Thou sendest as affliction, shame and disgrace to others, is beauty, perfection to them. Thou hast placed their wishes in those things that are not wished for. Contrary to what Thou doest to others, Thou hast made their tastes and pleasures in the world means for increasing their grades and pleasures in the next world. This is a great favour from Allâhu ta'âlâ. He gives it to whomever He likes. Allâhu ta'âlâ is the owner of great blessings.

**Answer 3:** This world is a place for testing. Here, right is mixed with wrong and the right are mixed with the wrong. If He did not give hardships and cares to His lovers, if He gave them only to His enemies, the lovers, being distinguishable from the enemies, would be known. There would be no use in testing. But it is necessary to believe without seeing. All the happinesses of this world and the next are dependent upon believing without seeing. This fact is communicated in the twenty-fifth âyat of **Hadîd Sûra: "Allâhu ta'âlâ, in order to know those who help His Prophets without seeing..."** This means to say that by showing His lovers in cares and difficulties, He has camouflaged them from the eyes of His enemies. Thus, the world has become a place for testing. His lovers are in disasters outwardly, but in actual fact they are in pleasures and flavours. Hence, the enemies are suffering loss and harm.

So was the case with Prophets fighting the enemy in holy wars. The Holy War of Badr was won by the Muslims, while the Holy War of Uhud was won by the disbelievers. Allâhu ta'âlâ informs of this fact in the hundred and fortieth âyat of **Âl-i 'Imrân Sûra.**

**Answer 4:** Yes, Allâhu ta'âlâ is Almighty. He can give His beloved ones comfort in both this world and the next. But His âdat is not so. He likes to hide His power under His hikmat and âdat. He has hidden His deeds, His creating, under causes. Then, because the world is the opposite of the next world, His beloved ones should suffer hardships in the world so that they will attain the next world's blessings. [Those who are beloved to Allâhu ta'âlâ take measures against hardships, disasters and dangers. They try to avoid them. It is the Prophets' sunnat to avoid things that are unbearable. They take pleasure from hardships which come upon them despite precautions. It is a high grade to take pleasure from disasters. It is something which can be done by very few distinguished people.]

**Main answer:** The reason why hardships and disasters come upon a person is because he has sinned. Yet the troubles and disasters cause the sins to be forgiven. Then, the beloved ones should be given many troubles so that they will be purified of their sins. [To forgive the sins of His beloved ones, Allâhu ta'âlâ afflicts them with misfortunes and disasters. When you do tawba and istighfâr, your sins will be forgiven. Then there will be no reason for the coming of misfortunes and disasters, and the misfortunes that have already come will go away. Then, you should say (the prayer of) istigfâr very often in order to secure yourself against misfortunes and disasters.] We should not think that the sins of the beloved are like the sins of enemies. "What the good look on as doing good is sinning to the beloved," has been said. Their sins, many as they may be, are unlike others' sins. They are similar to forgetting or erring. They have not been committed on purpose, by intent. The hundred and fifteenth âyat of **Tâhâ Sûra** purports about Hadrat Adam 'alâ nabiyyinâ wa alaihissalâm', **"We had told Adam. But he forgot. He did not commit on purpose, deliberately."** Then, disasters' and hardships' coming upon the beloved show that their sins are being forgiven to a large extent. It does not indicate that their sins are many. Causing many disasters to befall His beloved ones, He forgives their sins and purifies them. Thereby, He protects them from the disasters of the next world. Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' was about to die and was suffering immense pains, and Hadrat Fâtima 'radiyallâhu anhâ', who loved and pitied her father very much and about whom Rasûlullah had said, **"Fâtima is a part from me,"** was writhing, too. Upon seeing his daughter in this state, he stated to console her: **"This is the only trouble which your daddy will ever suffer. He will no longer see anything unpleasant!"**

It is such a great blessing that the very bitter torments in Hell are eliminated with a few days' trouble and that causes are sent in the world to clear away sins. He postpones the accounting of others' sins until the next world. Then, He should place many calamities and disasters upon the beloved ones in the world. Others are not worthy of this blessing. For, they commit sins but do not entreat Him or hang their heads in shame or trust themselves to Him. They commit sins without feeling shame, deliberately and intentionally. In fact, they sin insistently. In fact, making fun of Allah's âyats, they go unbelievably too far. Penalty varies depending on the gravity of the crime. If the crime is small and the guilty one hangs his head in shame and entreats, the crime may be forgiven through worldly hardships. But if the crime is big and heavy and the guilty one is stubborn and apathetic, his penalty in the next world should be endless and extremely bitter. The thirty-third âyat of **Nahl Sûra** purports, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ does not treat them unjustly. They have done cruelty to themselves and deserved heavy penalties."**

[ **Sin** is not to do Allah's commandments and not to abstain from His prohibitions. Commandments and prohibitions are for Muslims, for those who have îmân. He has not honoured those who have no îmân, disbelievers, with commanding them or making them worship. Like animals, they do what they wish, and it is not a sin. They are not tormented in the world for not worshipping, for sinning; they get every kind of blessing; they obtain what they wish and work for. Only, the cruel ones, those who torment creatures get their deserts in the world. Disbelievers have been commanded one thing only, they have been asked to do one thing only. This one thing is having îmân, becoming Muslim. Disobeying this one command, disbelievers have committed only one crime. Yet, it is the gravest crime. The penalty for the crime is very great, very bitter and endless. There cannot be such a penalty in the world. This endless penalty will be given to them in the next world, in Hell.]

You say that the ignoramuses, the idiots make fun [of those who perform namâz, who fast and obey the Sharî'at. They call them retrogressive, you say.] You say that they say, "Why does Allah send disasters, misfortunes upon His beloved ones? Why doesn't He send them goodness and blessings. [We are not obeying His commands. Why doesn't He punish us! Aha! We are comfortable, we are amusing and enjoying ourselves and making merry as we like, getting the world's delicacies through tricks and lies. You are wasting time performing namâz and fasting, keeping away from worldly pleasures and living in straits! In addition to these difficulties, your Allah is sending disasters, calamities upon you. If Islam were a way of happiness, you would live more comfortably, better and more happily than we do."] Thus, with such despicable waffles, they deny these beloved slaves of Allâhu ta'âlâ.

Disbelievers did say so to the Best of Mankind, too. It is purported in the seventh âyat of **Furqân Sûra, "The disbelievers said, 'What kind of prophet is this? He eats, drinks and goes about in the streets as we do. Were he a prophet, angels would come to him, help him, and they, too, would warn us and threaten us with Hell. Or he would be sent treasures of money, or he would have orchards, farms, and would eat whatever he liked...' "** Such words are said by those who disbelieve the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell, and who are short-sighted. Does a person who knows that the blessings in Paradise and torments in Hell are endless ever mind a few days' disasters and hardships in the world? Thinking that these problems will cause endless happiness, he meets them as blessings. He takes no heed of what the ignorant say. Anxiety, calamities, disasters are the unerring witnesses of love. What difference does it make if idiots do not understand this. The best to do is not to talk to such ignoramuses [not to listen to their radios, not to see their motion pictures, newspapers and books].

**Answer 6:** Hardships are the Beloved's lasso. [It is a lasso thrown by the Beloved One to pull the lover to Himself]. It is like a whip protecting the lovers from looking at things other than the Beloved One. It makes the lovers return to the Beloved One. Then, anxiety and disasters should be sent upon the lovers. Disasters protect the lovers against the sin of being fond of things other than the Beloved One. Others are not worthy of this blessing. They pull the lovers to the Beloved One by force. They pull those whom they like through anxiety and disasters. And those whom they dislike they let free like vagabonds. Among them, he who is worthy of endless bliss will come round to the right course by himself, will strive hard, thus attaining favour and blessing. Let him who will not do so think of what is going to happen to him!

As it is seen, disasters will come abundantly upon the selected ones. Not so many of them will come upon those who strive and struggle. It is for this reason that our Prophet, leader of the selected, loved and honoured best by the liked and loved, stated, **"No other prophet suffered as much as I have."** Then, anxiety and disasters are such a skilled guide that they will unerringly make the lover attain to the Beloved One. They protect him from being blemished by looking at things other than the Beloved One. It is surprising that, if the lovers have treasures, millions, they will give away all of them to buy anxiety and disasters. And he who knows nothing of divine love will spend millions to rid the anxiety and disasters.

**Question:** Sometimes a lover becomes sorry when disasters and hardships come upon him, a case which shows that he dislikes them. What is its reason?

**Answer:** That kind of sorrow and reluctance is in appearance. It originates from his nature, from his construction. There are benefits in this reluctance. For, if it weren't for this reluctance one could not be hostile or fight against one's nafs. The trouble which our Prophet was seen suffering when he was about to die was the final parts of the jihâd against the nafs. Thus, even his last breath was given out struggling against the enemy. Hence, he performed the most vehement struggle. He got rid of his human attributes which existed in his nature. He brought his blessed nafs round to complete obedience, to real passification.

Then, trouble is the broker of the market of love. What business will a person who has no love have with the broker? What use will the broker be to him and what value will the broker have in his eyes?

**Answer 7:** Another reason why disasters are sent is to distinguish the true lovers from those liars who pretend to love. A true lover takes pleasure from disasters, he gets happy. But a liar feels pain, complains. If he has tasted love, he does not feel real pain. His suffering is in appearance. Lovers distinguish these two kinds of pain from each other. For this reason, "A Walî will recognize a Walî," has been said.

**Question:** Again, you ask: 'Adam means nonexistence in every respect. It has no connection with existence. Then, how is it possible that 'adam exists in mind, in knowledge? How can something existing in mind go out of imagination?

**Answer:** Yes, 'adam means nonexistence. But all creatures were made from it; owing to its serving as a mirror, everything came into being. The appearances of Allah's names in the 'Ilm-i ilâhî were reflected in the mirror of 'adam, divided it into 'adams and caused it to exist in knowledge. Thus 'adam, escaping nonexistence in every respect, became the origin of creatures. These creatures exist outside of knowledge, too. They are in the grade of sense and illusion. They do not cease to exist when sense and illusion cease to exist. In fact, they may be said to exist outside. Why should you marvel at this progress of 'adam? All the events of this universe are based on 'adam. We should realize the greatness of the power of Allâhu ta'âlâ, who has based the universe on 'adam. He has manifested the perfections in the existence through its defects. The reason for 'adam's progress is obvious. For, the appearances of the names and attributes of Allâhu ta'âlâ in the divine knowledge are seated in its room. They are in its bed. It has become a way that leads the appearances, the shades to the real origin. Blind hearts will not see this. **"Our duty is to guide those who want to find the way to Allâhu ta'âlâ."** The words 'illusion' and 'imagination' made you doubt. Do not marvel at 'adam's progress! For, not every event or deed in this universe is outside knowledge or outside imagination. But there is a difference between one imagination and another. Being in the grade of imagination is different from coming into being in imagination. The being in the grade of the imagination is a real being. In fact, it may be said to be a being outside. But a being which has occurred to imagination is not so. It is not so permanent. I wrote some of 'adam's talents. Amîr Muhibullah took one copy with him. Just read it if you want to know!

**Question:** You ask about Fanâ and Baqâ.

**Answer:** I have written about them in my various letters and booklets. If there are any unintelligible places left, we have to see each other, sit together to understand them well. Their essential explanation will not go into writing. Even if it went into writing, it would not be right to write. For, who on earth would comprehend, understand them? Fanâ and Baqâ are shuhûdî, not wujûdî; [In other words, Fanâ is to deem oneself as nonexistent. It is not to cease to exist. And so is Baqâ.] Man, who is nothing, cannot become Allah. He does not unite with Allah. Man is always man. And Allah is always Allah. If a person thinks Fanâ and Baqâ are wujûdî and, removing man's ta'ayyun-i wujûdî, says that man will unite with the real being who is free from ta'ayyun and from likeness and that man himself will cease to exist and then will exist eternally with Allah, he becomes a heretic. To say that man will get rid of all dependences and bonds and will unite with the independent, like a drop of water leaving its place and dropping into the sea, is to be a heretic. We trust ourselves to Allah's protection against such a rotten belief. **Fanâ** means to forget everything other than Allâhu ta'âlâ, not to set one's heart on others and to purify one's heart of all one's wishes. Being a born slave consists of these. And **Baqâ** means man's adapting himself to Allah's will and adapting his wishes to Allah's wishes.

**Question:** You mention the sayr [walking] above the anfus (inside man). Which sayr is this? The sayr in the ten grades of âlam-i khalk and âlam-i amr and the sayr of hey'et-i wahdânî are the sayr inside the anfus. Then, which sayr is the sayr which is outside the anfus? What kind of travel is it?

**Answer:** Anfus (inside man), like âfâk (outside of man), is the shade, image of names. If, through Allah's grace, the shade forgets about himself and returns to his origin and begins to love his origin, he finds himself as his origin, as is stated in the hadîth, **"Everyone will be together with whomever he loves."** He deems his existence as the existence of his origin. This origin also has an origin. From the first origin he passes to the second origin. He finds himself this second origin. Thus, he moves forward from one origin to another. This sayr is a journey which is above the âfâk and the anfus. Some called the sayr-i anfusî **sayr-i fillâh**. The sayr which we are explaining is different from the sayr which they talk about. For, their sayr is husûlî, whereas this one is wusûlî. We have explained the difference between husûl and wusûl in our various letters.

**Question:** You ask us to explain that Allah's Person, Attributes and Names are so close?

**Answer:** The answer to this question depends on our seeing each other and talking. It will not be right to write. Written, it will be unclear. It might be understood, but not certainly. It will be very useful if it is talked over in person. [See first fascicle, 45th chapter, letter no: 3-1.]

**Question:** You ask about the kamâlât-i nubuwwat (perfections in prophethood). "Fanâ, Baqâ, tajallî and mabada'iyyat-i ta'ayyun are all perfections in Wilâyat. What signifies the sayr in the kamâlât-i nubuwwat?" you say.

**Answer:** During the urûj, while making progress, if there are differences, if one passes from one origin to another, such perfections are all in Wilâyat. If there is no difference left, if everything has become the same, one has begun the perfections in the grade of prophethood. There is wideness in this grade, too, yet it is a different type of wideness. There is difference, too, yet it is a different type of difference. We could write no more, nor would it be understood if we did.

You ask about some of the mysteries in namâz. I shall answer it some other time.

I have written a little in response to your complaint about the people of our time. Please ask no more. Pity this faqîr!

O our Allah! Forgive us our sins and our defects in doing your commandments. Do not let us deviate from the right way! Help us against disbelievers, o Allah! Âmîn.

31 - INFORMATION ABOUT GENIES

The following article has been taken from the book named Kashkul, by Sayyid Abdulhakîm Efendi, a professor of theology and tasawwuf at Madrasatul-mutahassisîn during the time of the thirty-sixth and the last Ottoman sovereign, Sultan Muhammad Wahidaddîn Khan. Kashkul has not been printed.

Those who ask if there are genies should be answered immediately. For, it is very dangerous to doubt if there are genies. The following information, which I have derived from the dependable books of Islamic savants as an answer, should be read with attention and with reason and should be given fair thought so that it will be understood well.

Such (Arabic) words as jinn (genie), jinnat, jinân, jannat, jenân and jenîn, which are made up of the letters J and N, mean 'covered.' The place called 'Jannat' (Paradise) has been given this name because it is covered with fruits, flowers, odors. The crazy are called 'maj-nûn' because their minds are covered. The night is called 'junn-i layl' because the dark has covered the daylight. And the creatures called 'genies' are called so because they are covered from our eyes. The word 'jinn' is the plural of the noun 'jinnî.' 'Jinn' means 'jinnîs.' 'Peri' is Persian for jinnî.

There are two kinds of creatures: visible and invisible. In addition, there are those immaterial creatures which are without place. Imâm-i Mâwardî says, "The genie is made of four basic substances: water, earthen substances, substances in the air and fire. Of these, fire consists of flames, light and smoke. There are believers and disbelievers among those genies that are created from the flames of fire, which are called mârij." According to our recent scientific knowledge, these four basic substances consist of a hundred and five elements. Accordingly, all creatures are made from elements and they bear energy. Because we can see those beings that are in solid or liquid forms under normal physical conditions and also the coloured gases, things that are made from them are visible. For example, because solid substances and water are in the majority (more than seventy percent) in man, man is visible. So are plants and all animals.

Genies are made from air and fire. [The flames of fire are invisible. Because the solid substances in it are lighted by heat, they look bright.] Therefore, genies are invisible, too.

The flame is of two parts: one of them is zulmânî (invisible). The other is nûrânî (which is invisible, too). Genies are created from the zulmânî part and angels from the nûrânî part. Men are created from earthen substances, but Allâhu ta'âlâ has changed these substances into organic forms and organs, into flesh and bones. Likewise, in angels and genies the flame has changed into a latîf (fine), particular form that can take any shape.

The description of genies: genies, that is, perîs, are the substances made from the flames of fire and can take any shape.

But angels are luminous substances. They can take various shapes. Angels and genies are closer with respect to their creation. Angels are noble, dear. Genies are despicable, unworthy. In angels the luminous part is in the majority and in genies the flame substance is in the majority. Certainly, nûr (light) is better than zulmat. The approximity of angels to genies is like the nearness of man to animals. The higher ones of men are more valuable than angels, and genies are more valuable than animals.

Most Islamic savants said that angels are objects. And this is the truth of the matter.

He who disbelieves the existence of angels becomes a disbeliever. He who disbelieves the fact that they are objects does not become a disbeliever, but he becomes a holder of bid'at.

Also, he who disbelieves the existence of genies becomes a disbeliever. A part of ancient philosophers, the majority of the group of Qadariyya [Mu'tazila] and zindîqs disbelieved genies and satans. They said that genie meant an intelligent person, a genius, and satan meant an evil person. He who does not read books of dîn or know of the words of Islamic savants will certainly not believe. But it is something astonishing that while the fact is clearly stated in the Qur'ân and though the books written by great men of Islam are so many, the Qadariyya group do not believe it. For, these people claim that they obey the Qur'ân. This comes to mean that they obey it this far only. However, genies' existence is not unreasonable. That is, it is not something which mind would not admit. For, it is not something which Allah's power could not make. Today, scientists, owners of wisdom and faith do not deny the things about which mind does not say impossible. The facts that are stated in the Qur'ân should be interpreted with the clear and common meanings of the words. Shaikh-i akbar [Muhyiddin-i Arabî] proves the existence of genies through the following âyats:

1 - The fifty-sixth âyat of **Zâriyât Sûra** purports, **"I have created men and genies only so that they would know, obey and worship Me."**

2 - The seventy-fourth âyat of **er-Rahmân Sûra** purports, that genies will enter Paradise.

3 - The thirty-first âyat of **er-Rahmân Sûra** purports, **'Thaqalayn,'** which means **"O men and genies."** Such names as Rasûl uth-thaqalayn, muftiy-uth-thaqalayn and ghaws uth-thaqalayn [that is, the Prophet, the Muftî, the Walî of men and genies] show that genies exist.

All disbelievers with books, fire-worshippers, idolaters, Buddhists, polytheists, most Greek philosophers, and great men of tasawwuf believe that genies exist. The event of Hadrat Suleymân also indicates the existence of genies.

Those who give the âyats telling about genies different meanings in accordance with their own minds become apostates. The fatwâ in the book **Milal-Nihal** and in the book **Tarîqat-i** **Muhammadiyya,** which is written by Imâm-i Muhammed Birgivî, and the explanation of **'Aqâid-i Nasafî** show that they become apostates. The fatwâ is:

"Âyats of the Qur'ân are to be given their clear, common meanings. Those who change these meanings and thus follow Bâtinîs [Ismâ'ilîs] become disbelievers."

The **Qul a'ûdhu** and **Jinn** sûras inform that genies exist.

[Some ignorant people suppose that genies are illusions and say that they do not exist; this is worthless. Illusions formed before eyes out of fear absolutely do not exist. But to suppose that these illusions are genies means that one knows nothing of genies. To say that something does not exist, one has to know, understand it first. Without knowing it, it would be puerile to say that it does not exist. It would be out of place to call such people scientists. It does not become a man of knowledge to say "not existent," only writing by way of supposition, without being based upon knowledge, mind or experiment, about something which has been communicated by all prophets, especially by the highest of the Prophets 'alaihi wa alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât' various times. The only saying of those who disbelieve genies, angels, Paradise and Hell, and even Allâhu ta'âlâ, is, "Who on earth has gone there and seen them? We would have seen them if they existed. It is idiocy to believe things that are not seen." They think that mind should depend upon eyes, not eyes upon mind. However, mind is a power above the sense organs and a judge that distinguishes the right ones from the wrong ones of the things that are perceived. If men were dependent upon eyes and if the honour of humanity were measured with the power of the eyes, a cat, a dog or a rat would necessarily be more honourable, more valuable than man. For, these animals can see in the dark, but man cannot. Then, a person who is reluctant to believe what he cannot see reduces humanity to a grade below animals. This means to say that our sense organs are mind's servants, tools. Mind is the commander, the ruler. Mind does not deny things that are not seen or heard, nor does it say nonexistent about those things whose nonexistence cannot be proved or understood. It is not reasonable to say that these things are nonexistent.]

Since the existence of genies is something which Islam has communicated clearly, he who disbelieves it will go out of Islam, and none of his worships will be accepted.

Examples of the fact that genies cause harm to men, that they help them, and that they make them attain their wishes have been seen and reported by Muslims and disbelievers at various times. Those who disbelieve the fact, on the other hand, are very few. That is, they are only those quack philosophers plus a few people owing medical diplomas. Old, experienced doctors and those who have received the taste of medical specialization today cannot dismiss the matter by saying that they do not exist, but they have to follow Muslims. Ibni Sinâ,[] the most famous doctor of Islamic world, influenced by Greek philosophers, did not get any share from Islam. Yet, while explaining the disease of epilepsy in his book **Qânûn,** he refers to genies. He says, for instance, "As diseases are caused by various substances, so there are those diseases that are caused by genies, and such diseases are widely-known."

[There was information about genies in each prophet's book. They used to act under the command of Suleymân 'alaihissalâm'. When the Prophet Idris 'alahissalâm' was taken up to Paradise alive, those who loved him very much could not bear the grief of separation. Drawing pictures of him, they watched them. Those who came after them thought that these pictures were gods. They made various statues and worshipped them. Thus, idolatry came about. Amr bin Luhay, who was the chief of the Huzâ'a government in Hidjaz a thousand years before our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', brought the religion of idolatry from Hidjaz to Mekka. Those who worshipped idols heard voices from the idols. It was genies who entered the idols, which were statues, and spoke in them. It was heard from many idols that our Prophet had honoured the world with his presence and that Islam had commenced. It is written with details in the history book **Mir'ât-i Mekka** that many people became Muslims by these words. Satans can enter a living person, too. Affecting man's nerves of sense and movement, they can make motion and voices. Man is unaware of this word or action of his. So, at one time in Rome and Budapest and recently in Adana, speaking children and sick people were seen. Because the genies who made them speak told about things in distant countries or in ancient times, some people thought that these children had two souls or they bore another person's soul; that is, they thought it was metempsychosis. Our dîn explains clearly that it is wrong to think so. Of old, soothsayers used to hear some things from genies and tell fortunes. Therefore, idolaters used to believe the existence of genies, and they used to fear them. Muslims did not learn the existence of genies by hearing it from idolaters. They learned it from the Qur'ân and from Muhammad 'alaihissalâm'. Contrary to idolaters, Muslims are not afraid of genies. In addition to the protecting angels who protect men against genies, they cannot do any harm to those who trust themselves to Allâhu ta'âlâ by saying âyats and prayers.]

As men were created from earth first, so genies were created from flames. Genies, too, are either male or female. Information about their marriages, homes, eating, drinking, multiplying, dying, the facts that Muhammad 'alaihissalâm' is also their Prophet, that they listen to the Qur'ân and gather in the blessed cities of Mekka and Medina, that Rasûl-i akram 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' recited the Qur'ân to them, that they worship and give alms, that their good deeds will be given thawâb, that the disbelievers of genies will go to Hell and their believers will enter Paradise and they will see Allâhu ta'âlâ in Paradise, the matters such as whether the namâz of those who perfom namâz behind genies will be acceptable, whether the prayers of Friday or other prayers in jamâ'at with them will be acceptable and that it is permissible for them to pass before a person performing namâz are written in various books. Our savants have various writings communicating that marriage between human beings and genies is permissible that ghusl (ritual washing) is necessary when a male genie assualts a human woman, how the child born from the intercourse between a human being and a genie will be [e.g., Belqis, the Queen of Sheba], that it is permissible for a man to eat the animal (sheep, etc.) killed (by jugulation) by a genie, that genies ask questions to human savants and take fatwâ from them, that they preach to human beings, that they recite poems to human beings, and that human beings hear them, that they teach human beings how to cure diseases and how to make medicines, that they fear human beings and obey them. These books indicate the existence of genies. How to take precautions against genies' harm to human beings, how to defend against genies' harm, that the inferior genies obey their superiors, that they do favours in return for men's favours and evil and harm in return for their harm, that they enter an epileptic person's body and the epileptic's actions and deeds are the genies' actions, that for curing such diseased people it is necessary to exchange questions and answers with genies, that genies make fun of human beings, that genies, like human beings, cause illnesses by evil eyes, that genies make wars, especially in the month of Ramadân they become excessive, that genies worship human beings, that they enter discussions with human beings on the question of whether some hadîths are sahîh (see kinds of hadîths in the first fascicle), that they informed the inhabitants of Mekka with the news that Sarwar-i âlam 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stayed as a guest in Umm-i Ma'bad's tent, that they informed that Umm-i Ma'bad had become a Muslim, that they informed about the combat of Badr, that it is permissible to ask genies about things in the past but not about things that will happen in the future, that genies will bear witness for the adhâns said by muadhdhins on the Day of Resurrection, that genies wept and mourned upon the death of Abû Ubayda and his friends, that they recited eulogies upon the death of Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh', that they wept and moaned when Hadrat Uthmân 'radiyallâhu anh' was martyred, that they reported the martyrdom of Hadrat Alî 'radiyallâhu anh', that they wept and cried when Hadrat Husayn 'radiyallâhu anh' was martyred and reported the martyrdom of other Sahabîs, that they reported the death of Hadrat 'Umar bin Abdul'azîz, that they wept upon the deaths of Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa and Imâm-i Shâfi'î, that genies instill doubts into man's heart, and many other famous events and deeds are written in valuable books. All these show that genies exist. [They disguise themselves as goats and snakes, an event that has been seen many times. Also, disguising themselves as microbes, they travel in a person's blood vessels.]

Genies eat and drink. Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"Eat and drink with your right hands! For the Shaytân eats and drinks with his left hand."** All the satans (shaytân) are disbelievers. They strive to deceive men. They try to make them forget about worships and to misrepresent sins as beautiful. They incite the desires of the nafs. Satans are made from fire and air, too. But in genies the air is in the majority and in satans the fire is in the majority. Genies and satans can go through the smallest opening and can penetrate into man, into his blood vessels.

It is written in **'Aynî Tarihi,** "Genies are more than ten times as many as human beings. Satans are more than ten times as many as the total number of these two. And angels are more than ten times as many as the sum of these three." [ **Târîh-i 'Aynî,** by Mahmûd bin Ahmad, one of the interpreters of **Bukhârî,** consists of nineteen volumes.] Each person has a companion from genies, who is kâfir. But angels protect human beings against their harm. It is written in **Ashbâh** that there have not been any prophets from genies. Imâm-i Muqâtil communicates that no prophet had come to genies before Hadrat Muhammad.

It is written in the second part of **Ashbâh** and in its explanation called **Hamawî,** "The first man was created from soil. Bodies of all men are made up of earthen substances. But men are flesh and bones. They are not soil. So is the case with genies. Though they are made from fire, they are not fire or air."

It is written in **Tadhkira-i Qurtubî,** "A genie's death is its getting lost on the ground. Old ones do not die without getting young again. When they are about to die, they turn back to their childhood and then get lost on the ground. There are three groups of genies. One group is like the wind and the air. Another group is like the insects and the tiny animals on the ground. The third group is charged with commands and worship. They will be called to account and there will be torment for them."

Sayyid 'Umar said, "A genie girl came to me. She wanted to marry me. I asked Shamsaddin Hanafî what to do. He said it was not permissible according to the Hanafî Madhhab. I told her so. She took me to their house under the ground. She told her elders what had happened. Her elders said, 'We respect Sayyed Shamsaddîn's answer highly. But a genie's marrying a human being is permitted in the Shafi'î Madhhab. We are not Hanafî; we are Shâfi'î.' "

Men's multiplying is through semen. And genies' multiplying is through gas (air). That is, gas being transferred from the male genie to the female genie, the young gets born by the female genie. This means to say that a man's marriage to a genie is imaginary. There is not a real marriage. But most savants said that there is a real marriage, that a ghusl (ritual washing) is necessary, and that Belqis was born from intercourse between a man and a genie. [The genie gets married by disguising itself in a human form.]

Man can see genies and satans when he is awake and in his dream; for, they can take any shape. Disguising themselves in very lovely appearances they cause nocturnal emission. Most prophets 'alaihimussalâm' and Awliyâ saw Satan and spoke to him. No matter in what guise, if the person who sees a genie looks at him all the time, the genie cannot change his guise, nor can he disappear. He can ask him questions and get the answers. But if he looks at somewhere else for a moment, the genie returns to his own guise and disappears. Imâm-i Shâfi'î 'rahmatullâhi aleyh' said, "A person who claims to have seen a genie in his own appearance is not acceptable as a witness." For, people with strong imaginations suppose to see things that do not exist. They think of illusions as something. Also, bewitched people see such illusions and think of them as objects. Ugly things seem beautiful to fanciful people. Their ugly sides are not seen by them. Likewise, everything worldly seems so to those who are fond of the world. Ugliness seems beautiful to them. But those who are vigilant, keen-sighted see the truth of everything and do not get deceived.

Man's knowing genies or making friends with them is not something valuable, and it is harmful. Speaking with them is like making friends with sinners. Not a single person who has known them has benefited from them. Muhyiddîn-i Arabî 'quddîsa sirruh' says in the fifty-first chapter of his book **Futûhât,** 'Not one person has acquired any information concerning Allâhu ta'âlâ from genies. For, genies have very little knowledge of the dîn. A person who thinks of acquiring worldly knowledge from them is wrong, too. For, they will cause him to waste his time on useless things. Those who make friends with them become arrogant. And Allâhu ta'âlâ dislikes an arrogant person." Abdulghafûr-i Lârî, the Khalîfa of Hadrat Molla Jâmî, says in **Rashahât** that Muhyiddîn-i Arabî said as follows in one of his booklets: "The first father of the genies is not Iblis [Satan]. Satan is from a tribe of genies. Genies are very fine because they are created from fire and air. They act quickly. When man strikes at them slightly, they die immediately. For this reason, their lives are short. Their knowledge of the dîn is quite limited. Because they are arrogant, they always fight with each other. They are not affected by fire. Those genies who will go to Hell will be tormented in Zamharîr, which is the cold Hell. Iblîs and his children will inspire you to do right, blessed deeds, too. But when doing these there will be hypocrisy, ostentation in your nafs, or they will cause you to miss the fard (obligatory) actions, and thus you will be sinful." We should not have the fancy to make an acquaintance with genies, but we should try to benefit from the exalted souls of Awliyâ. The souls of Awliyâ, without being seen or by appearing in their own figures, are useful to those whom they love and protect them against disasters. We should try to know them, to love them and to be loved by them.

The hadîth written in the chapter on the disasters of the whole body in **Al-hadîqat-un-nadiyya** says, **"One who commits tatayyur or is regarded as tatayyur, who is a kâhin or goes to a kâhin, and who works magic or sorcery or has it practiced, or who believes** **them is not among us. They do not believe in the Qur'ân."** Tatayyur is belief in ill omen. **Kâhin** is a person who has made friends with a genie to whom he asks about past and future events and tells what he learns to others. In this group of people are those fortunetellers acquainted with genies and those who answer every question by looking it up in a book of constellation. To visit them, or to believe what they or other sorcerers say or do, means - even if it proves true occasionally - to believe that someone other than Allah may know everything and do whatever he wishes, which means unbelief.

Ibn Hajar-i Hîtamî wrote on page one hundred and twenty of **Fatâwâ-yi hadîthiyya, "** If some men of tarîqa perform feats of skill such as cutting someone's arm and then replacing it or thrusting long knives into their own mouths, and if they do them in the name of magic (sihr) and claim to work miracles, the (Islamic) judge is to order them to be killed. If they do so in a different manner, they are not killed but heavily punished. In his book **Ithbât-u karâmat-il-Awliyâ,** Abdullah ibni Abî Zaid Kayrawânî 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh', one of the scholars of the Mâlikî Madhhab says that if somebody's magic does not contain anything that causes disbelief and is merely a feat of skill, and if he claims it to be miraculous and of tarîqa, he is punished. It is not permissible to go to or watch such men of tarîqa. Once, a woman told her husband that she practised sorcery so that he should lose his affection for her or someone else. She was not killed. She was punished. Ibni Abî Zayd said, "If somebody claims that he, by looking in a book, speaks with genies and, by commanding them, exorcises the wicked genie which causes epilepsy, or that he breaks spells and kills wicked genies, he should not be believed." One who claims to be a friend of genies or to have served the leader of genies is to be taken as a sorcerer. Hâkim bi-Amrillah Mansûr, the sixth Fâtimid ruler in Egypt, taken in by Dirâr and his disciple, Hamza, became acquainted with genies, served the ruler of genies, deviated into heresy and became a toy of devils. He later claimed divinity. Ibni Abî Zayd said, "It is not permissible to believe a man of tarîqa who has friends among genies or to pay him money believing that he will rescue you from genies. It is not permissible to pay a person who removes sorcery." It is permissible to write - free of charge - an amulet containing prayers from the Qur'ân and recommended by the Salaf-i sâlihîn for a woman so that her husband will love her and will not abuse her. It is harâm to write, read or have someone read things that are not known or to make an amulet or to cast a spell with them." Birgivî's words, "One who says that he knows what is stolen and one who believes him become unbelievers. If the former says that he knows it because genies reveal it to him, he again becomes an unbeliever; for, genies do not know the unknown, either. Only Allâhu ta'âlâ knows the unknown. No one else knows," are explained by Qâdi-zâda in the annotation of **Birgivî Vasiyyetnamesi** as follows: "Those who are sent wahy or ilhâm (inspiration) by Allâhu ta'âlâ do know. Genies do not know everything. They know what Allâhu ta'âlâ makes them know or what they see. If the genie discloses what it has learned through either way, there is nothing wrong with saying that the genie has let you know. Prophets are alive in their graves in a life we do not know. Allâhu ta'âlâ revealed unknown and secret things through wahy, ilhâm and kashf. He discloses the actions and states of the living men to them and to the souls of those Believers He chooses." It is jâ'iz that He reveals to faithful genies. Nevertheless, one must be on the alert lest one should drift into perdition by being trapped and misled by the lies fibbed by men of bid'at, sinful men of tarîqa and heretical and impious bigots. See the book **Al-munîra!**

It is written in the last sections of the last volumes of **Durr-ul-mukhtâr's** explanations by Tahtâwî and Ibni Âbidîn: "It is makrûh to dispute on what a person does not have to know. It is not permissible to ask about things you are not commanded to know. For example, 'Were Luqman and Zulqarnayn prophets, or not?' 'How did Jabrâil come to prophets?' 'In what guise do angels and genies show themselves to men?' 'When they appear in human form, are they still genies and angels?' 'Where are Paradise and Hell?' 'When will Doomsday happen?' 'When will Îsâ 'alaihissalâm' descend from Heaven?' 'Who is better, Ismâ'îl or Is'haq? Which was sacrificed?' 'Who is higher, Fâtima or Âisha?' 'In which dîn were Rasûlullah's 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' parents and Abû Tâlib?' 'Who was Ibrâhîm's 'alaihissalâm' father?' One should not ask questions like these. We are not commanded to know them."

It is written in the book **Khazînatulasrâr:** Let us give the hadîths concerning the exorcization of spirits from the epileptic person and his healing:

Imâm-i Bayhaki says in his book **Delâil-un-nubuwwa** and Imâm-i Qurtubî in his book **Tadhkira** that Abû Dujâna said, "I was lying down, when I heard a noise like the noise of a mill or that of the leaves of a tree and saw a flash like lightning. I raised my head to see something black that was rising in the middle of the room. I felt it with my hand. It was like a porcupine's skin. It began to throw things like sparks at my face. At once I went to Rasûlullah and told him what had happened. He said, 'O Abâ Dujâna! May Allah give your home goodness and abundance!' He asked for a pen and a piece of paper. He had Alî 'radiyallâhu anh' write a letter. I took the letter to my home. I put it under my head and went to sleep. A yelling voice woke me up. It said, 'O Abâ Dujâna! You have burned me with that letter. Your owner is certainly much higher than we are. There is no way of escape for us, except that you remove that letter. We shall no longer come to your home or your neighbors.' We cannot go to places where the letter is.' I told him that I could not remove the letter without getting my owner's permission. The night seemed very long to me because of the crying and wailing of genies. After performing the morning prayer in the mosque, I told Rasûlullah what the genie had said. Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' said, 'Remove the letter. Or else they will suffer the letter's pain till the end of the world.' "

It is written in the book **Majmu'â-tul-fawâid** by Kafavî and also in Damîrî's book **Hayât-ul-haywân** , in the entry 'Qunfaz' in the letter "Q," "If a person carries this letter with himself or has it in his home, genies will not come to him, to his home, or to his neighborhood, and also those genies who have been haunting and harming him will go away." The letter is written in **Khazînatulasrâr** and in **Hayât-ul-haywân.** The Persian version of Hayât-ul-haywân exists at number 2912, and its Turkish version at number 1913, in the **Ayasophia** section of the Library of Süleymâniye. With a view to serving Muslims, the book has also been appended to the book **Tahsil-ul-manâfi',** which is available at Hakikat Kitabevi.

Also, frequent reciting of the sûras of **Âyat-al-kursî, Mu'awizatayn, Ikhlâs** and **Fâtiha** protects one against genies. Those who want to utilize these âyats by reciting them, by carrying the letter, by reciting the âyats for healing or by writing them on a piece of paper and drinking the water in which the piece of paper is put, should have an îmân agreeing with the belief of the Ahl as-sunnat. If the belief of a person who writes them or who uses them is not correct, or if he uses those things which are the signs of disbelief, or if he commits the harâm, they will not be useful.

The book **Aqâm-il-Marjân** , by Qâdî Badruddîn Shablî, is in Arabic and it is great. It is entirely about genies. At one place it says, "It is permissible to ask genies about past things. It is not permissible to ask them about the things that will happen in the future. They know past things by seeing and hearing them. It is not permissible to do things that cause disbelief in order to rescue epileptic people or those people who have been paralyzed by genies from genies. Here we are writing the best ten remedies for getting saved from genies [briefly]:

1 - Say **A'ûdhu-Basmala** and recite the sûra of **Fâtiha**. 2 - Say **A'ûdhu-Basmala** and recite the sûra of **Qul-a'ûdhu**. 3 - Say **A'ûdhu-Basmala** and recite the sûra of **Baqara.** 4 - Say **A'ûdhu-Basmala** and recite the **Âyatalkursî.** 5 - Say **A'ûdhu-Basmala** and recite the final âyat of **Baqara Sûra.** 6 - Say **A'ûdhu-Basmala** and recite the sûra of **Hâ-mîm Mu'min** from the beginning up to 'masr,' and also **Âyatalkursî.** 7 - Recite the prayer, **"Lâ ilâha illallâhu wahdahu lâ sharîka lah lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa 'alâ kulli shay'in qadîr."** 8 - Say **(Allah)** very often. 9 - Be with your ritual ablution all the time, never omit the fard and the sunnat actions. 10 - Avoid looking at nâ-mahram women, eating much and being in crowds." The book **Barakât,** after telling about Muhammad Sa'îd, writes that in order to protect himself from genies, Imâm-i Rabbânî used to say the prayer, **"Lâ hawla walâ quwwata illâ billah-il-'aliyyil'azîm."** Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî advised saying this prayer in his 174th letter for repelling genies. This prayer is called **"kalima-i tamjîd."**

Also, in the book **Tazakkur-u-Âsâr-ul-wârida** by Shaikh-ul-Islâm Ibni Hajar Hîtamî 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh', there are prayers to protect one from genies. The book exists with number 1150 at the Rais-ul-kuttâb Mustafa Efendi section of the Library of Süleymâniyye. Hakîkat Kitâbevi has reproduced this book and appended it to the book **Minhâ.**

There is valuable information about how to protect yourself against incantation, evil eye and genies in the book **Kitâburrahma fit-tibb-i wal'hikma** by Jalâl-addîn-i Suyûti 'rahmatullâhi aleyh'. He says in the hundred and fiftieth chapter, "For ridding the harmful doubts caused by Shaytân, say every day the prayer, 'Yâ Allah-ur-raqîb-ul-hafîz-ur-rahîm. Yâ Allah-ul-hayy-ul-halîm-ul-'azîm-ur-raûf-ûl-karîm. Yâ Allah-ul-hayy-ul-qayyûm-ulqâimu 'alâ kulli nafsin bimâ kasabat, hul baynî wa bayna aduwwî!' " He says at the end of the hundred and seventy-fourth chapter, "Genies will not come to the person who carries the gum called asafoetida with him. If an epileptic person smells it he will recover." The gum asafoetida is a dark, badsmelling resin, and it has been used an as antispasmodic, that is, as a sedative of the nerves, in powder, pills or liquid forms, to remove tension from the muscles and nerves, in Europe. It is written in **Hayât-ul-haywân** and **Qamus** that genies do not enter the house where there is citron.

Imâm-i-Rabbânî 'rahmatullâhi aleyh' and his disciples set out for a long journey. On their way they stopped at an inn to spend the night. He told his disciples that a catastrophe was going to befall the inn during the night and advised them to recite the following prayer: **"Bismillâh-il-lezî lâ-yadhurru ma'asmihi shay'un fi-l-Erd-i wa-lâ fi-s-samâ' wa huwa-s-samî'ul-'alîm."** That night a great fire broke out, burning everything including the lodgers' belongings. Yet those who had said the prayer suffered no harm. This prayer is written in the books **Umdat-ul-Islâm** and **Berekât.** On the other hand, it is stated in the book **Terghîb-us-salât** that it is a hadîth-i-sherîf. For protection against anxiety, disasters, mischief and diseases, you should remember the Imâm's advice and say this prayer daily, three times in the morning and three times in the evening. It should be recited also when âyât-i-hirz [âyats for protection] are recited.

32 - A LETTER ABOUT THE PRESENCE  
OF SOULS

**This letter was written by Sayyid Abdulhakîm Arwâsî** 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh'. **It explains how the souls of Awliyâ will come to one's help everywhere:**

Dear Alî Bey, my brother in both worlds!

I have received your last letter. It has pleased me very much. I add my salâms to my benedictions over you. In an utterly beautiful manner you asked a question at the end of your letter.

**Question:** It is written in **Baba Dağı** , which is the translation of the book **Halabî,** and in **Birgivî Vasiyyetnâmesi,** [and in the fatwâ of **Bezzâziyya,** ] "If a person says that the souls of Awliyâ are present here, he becomes a disbeliever." On the other hand, the saying, "The soul of our master is present and overlooking here," is famous among men of tasawwuf. How can these two words be reconciled?

**Answer:** Sir! What these two books say is right. Both books are valuable. Explaining the statement, "The early scholars said, 'A person who claims that the souls of shaikhs are present, so they know, will be a disbeliever,' " Kâdî zâde Ahmed Efendi 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh' says in his annotation to **Birgivî Vasiyyetnâmesi,** "This statement is true because the soul's being present is a ghâib (unknown event). The person will be a disbeliever because he speaks surely about something which is ghâib." In fact, as it is seen here, the thing which causes disbelief is saying that the souls are present, not to believe that the souls will be present. That is, he will be a disbeliever, because, even though he does not know that the souls are present, he gives a report about the ghâib by saying that they are present. In order to explain that this is so, they say that Allâhu ta'âlâ is present and overlooking all the time and everywhere, However, Allâhu ta'âlâ is not with time or with place. Then, this statement is not as it seems to be, but it is a metaphor. That is, it means that He is present [exists] and overlooking [sees] without time and without place, that is, without Him being at any place. Otherwise, Allâhu ta'âlâ would be considered to be with time and with place, whereas He is not.

Allâhu ta'âlâ, being Hayy, 'Alîm, Qâdîr and Mutakallim, always exists and always sees in infinite time. As His Attributes, Life, Knowledge, Power and Speech are without time and without place, so His being present and overlooking is without time and without place. So is the case with all the attributes of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Neither before them nor after them is there nonexistence. For example, He is present, and He was not absent before this presence. And after this there will not be a lifelessness, that is, death, or unawareness, nor will there be absence. Like Him, His attributes are eternal in the past and in the future, too. That is, they always exist. Noone else's attributes are like His attributes.

Angels, the souls of prophets 'alaihimussalâm' and of Awliyâ, and the souls of pious Muslims are present at any place where they are summoned to, no matter who calls them, where and in what state he is, and they help him. An example of this is Hadrat Khizir's going to the rescue of those who are in trouble. So is the case with Fakhr-i âlam's 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' going to the rescue of each of his Ummat, especially at the time of death. So is the case with Hadrat Azrâil's reaching everywhere every moment in order to take away the souls [lives]. And so is the case with each Murshid-i kâmil's reaching to rescue his disciples; these are with time and place and they are not eternal in the past or in the future. Nor are they continuous. They were nonexistent before being present. And they will cease to exist after a while. There is a great difference between Allah's being present and souls' being present. No one is present like Allah's being present. So are all the attributes of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Neither an angel nor a nabî nor a rasûl nor a Walî nor a pious Muslim has any share from any of Allah's attributes.

Devotees who had not reached the grades of the knowledge of being a Walî used to be taught that the souls of murshids would come to their rescue wherever and whenever they were called. The soul was absent before it became present there. And it would be absent some time later. Allâhu ta'âlâ is present not like the presence of souls. For such a presence is with time and with place. Nor can souls be present like the presence of Allâhu ta'âlâ. For, Allah's presence is not with time or with place, but it is eternal in the past and in the future.

Such valuable books as **Birgivî Vasiyyetnâmesi** and the like mean to say that:

If a person says that his murshid is present "eternally in the past and in the future," he will become a disbeliever. But they mean to say, "Allâhu ta'âlâ has given my murshid's soul such a power that he will be present to rescue me wherever and whenever I call upon him."

As it is seen, from that time till today, whenever he has been called by anyone, especially by owners of kashf and shuhûd, at any part of the world, Fakhr-i âlam 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' has arrived to rescue them. Hadrat Khizir's soul has come to the rescue of some of those who called him. Angels are present whenever and wherever they want at the same moment to take away souls [lives]. It is written in the **book Mîzân-ul-kubrâ** that Abul-Hasan Alî Shâdhilî 'quddisa sirruh', leader of the path of Shâdhiliyya, said, "Every moment the blessed face of our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' is present before my eyes." [The fact that when the souls of Awliyâ are called they will hear it and they will be present at the place where they have been called is clearly revealed by Allâhu ta'âlâ through the Hadîth Qudsî which is written in chapter 46 in the first fascicle of **Endless Bliss.** ]

What the books write is true. Yet what the men of tasawwuf say is different. That is, it is disbelief to say that the souls of Awliyâ are present like Allâhu ta'âlâ. Nobody is knowing, powerful, speaking, or present like Allah's being knowing, powerful, speaking and present. Allah's knowledge, or life, or power, or speech, or presence is a knowledge, a life, a power, a speech, or a presence which is suitable for Allâhu ta'âlâ, and so are all His other attributes. But creatures' life, knowledge, power and speech are like themselves, of recent occurrence, with time and place, transient, and dependent upon various conditions. Nevertheless, it is said that prophets 'alaihimussalâm', Awliyâ 'alaihimurridwân', Ulamâ 'alaihimurrahma' and all Muslims 'asla ha-humullah' are knowing, living, powerful, present and existing. But it does not mean that they are like Allah's being knowing, alive, powerful, present and existing. There is great difference between Allah's being present and the Awliyâ's souls' being present. At the time when these books were written those ignorant men of tarîqat had been saying such words. They had been saying that their masters were present and overlooking in order to represent themselves as men of tasawwuf. The savants of the dîn, authors of the books of fiqh prevented this grave sin from spreading by writing so. However, our imâms of dîn, who are greater than these, explained the matter more generally, in more detail and more properly. Nobody is Allah's partner in His attributes. All these are included in the expression **Lâ ilâha il-lallah.** That is, there is nobody worthy of worship but Allâhu ta'âlâ, who has no partner in any of His attributes. If this meaning is pondered over well, the problem will be solved on this basis.

Sir! I have written the answer in detail and so clearly. For, many people have fallen into uncertainty about this matter. The shaikhs of Turuq-i aliyya should be deeply learned so that they may solve such doubts in such a way that everbody will understand them. Recently the tekkes (dervish convents) have been left in the hands of the ignorant. Those who know nothing of the dîn and faith have been called shaikhs. And the enemies of dîn, seizing upon the waffles and jests of these so-called shaikhs, have said that superstitions have been mixed up with the dîn and the dîn has been defiled. Indeed, it is quite wrong to think of the words and the actions of (these sham) men of tarîqat as the dîn and to mistake them for the great men of tasawwuf. It means not to know, not to understand the dîn. Being an authority in the dîn requires knowing the savants of the Ahl as-sunnat, reading and understanding the books of these great people well, and doing what one knows. In the absence of scholars in this capacity, the enemies of Islam will find the opportunity to disguise themselves as men of dîn. Organizing insidious offensives camouflaged under religious admonitions and treatises to pilfer the îmân of the younger generations piecemeal, they will seduce the people into perdition and lead the country into destruction.

33 - SECOND VOLUME, 28th LETTER

This letter, written to Mawlânâ Sâdiq Kishmîrî, explains that souls can take the shapes of objects and that metempsychosis is not true:

I thank Allâhu ta'âlâ and I invoke a blessing on you. We have received your kind letter. We have been pleased to know about the beautiful states you have been in. "I have been understanding Allâhu ta'âlâ beyond mind, knowledge, kashf, findings, and beyond the beyonds. So much so that I cannot believe that His attributes are together with Him. I have been understanding Him as far from anything, any being," you say. This pleases us so much.

**Question:** It is written in the book **Rashahât** that Bâbâ Âbrîz said, "Before there was any man on the earth, when Allâhu ta'âlâ willed the kneading of Hadrat Adam's clay, I poured water into the clay." You ask what he means by saying so.

**Answer:** Hadrat Adam's clay was kneaded by angels. It is understood that as this task was assigned to angels, so Bâbâ Âbrîz's soul was assigned the task of pouring water. When his own body came to the world or, rather, when he reached perfection, he was informed that his soul had done the task. It is possible for Allâhu ta'âlâ to give souls the power of taking the shapes of objects and acting like the living before entering their bodies or after leaving their bodies.

Some great men of dîn stated that they had done important great duties centuries before they had come to the world; these events happened in the same manner. That is, their souls did these deeds without bodies, and they were informed of the task after coming to the world.

Some people have considered souls acting in the shapes of objects as metempsychosis. It is never, never metempsychosis. That is, souls have not entered other bodies. This case has engendered perdition for many ignorant people. Much is there to write on it. Bewildering pieces of information have been coming to my heart. I will write about them if Allah should will it. I have no time to write now. Inshâ-Allah, it will fall to my lot to write.

I send my salâm and benedictions.

34 - FIRST VOLUME, 261st LETTER

This letter, written to Sayyid Mîr Muhammad Nu'mân, informs of the value of namâz and the virtues peculiar to namâz:

I thank Allâhu ta'âlâ. I send my prayers and salâm to His beloved Prophet Muhammad 'alaihissalâm', and I pray for you. My Dear Brother! May Allâhu ta'âlâ promote you to true ranks! Know that namâz is the second of the five pillars of Islam, of the five fundamentals of the dîn. It has accummulated all other kinds of worship within itself. Though it is one-fifth of Islam, it has become Islam itself owing to this accummulative quality. It has become the first of the deeds that will make man attain love of Allâhu ta'âlâ. The honour of ru'yat, which fell to the lot of the Master of Worlds, the Highest of Prophets 'alaihi wa alaihimussalâtu wassalam', in Paradise on the night of Mi'râj, was granted to him, in namâz only, suitably with the state of the world, after returning to the world. It is for this reason that he stated: **"Namâz is the Believer's mi'râj."** He stated in another hadîth: **"It is in namâz that man is closest to Allâhu ta'âlâ."** Namâz has the greater share from that fortune of ru'yat which falls to the lot of those great people who have adapted themselves precisely to his way, to his path. Yes, it is impossible to see Allâhu ta'âlâ in this world. The world is not suitable for this. But those great people following him has been enjoying a share from ru'yat. Had he not ordered us to perform namâz, who would raise the veil from the beautiful face of the purpose? How would the lovers find the Beloved One? Namâz is the taste-giver of worried souls. Namâz is assuagement for the afflicted. Namâz is food for the soul. Namâz is medicine for the heart. The hadîth, **"O Bilâl, cheer me up,"** [which commands the adhân] indicates this fact, and the hadîth, **"Namâz is the bliss of my heart, the pupil of my eye,"** points out this desire. If any of the dhawqs, wajds, knowledge, ma'rifats, maqâms, nûrs and colours, talwîns and tamqîns in the heart, comprehensible and incomprehensible tajallîs, qualified and unqualified zuhûrs happens outside namâz and if nothing is perceived from the inner nature of namâz, whatever happens comes from the reflections, shades, and appearances. Perhaps it is nothing but an illusion, a delusion. A mature person who has perceived the inner nature of namâz, when he begins namâz, sort of goes out of this world and enters the life of the Hereafter, thus attaining something from the blessings of the Hereafter. He enjoys a flavour and a share from the origin without the reflections, illusions interfering. For, all the perfections and blessings in the world issue from reflections and appearances. It is peculiar to the Hereafter for them to issue directly from the origin without the interference of the shades and appearances. To receive from the origin, mi'râj is necessary in the world. This mi'râj is the Believer's namâz. This blessing is peculiar to this Ummat only. They attain this by obeying their Prophet. For, their Prophet'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' went out of the world and ascended to the next world on the Night of Mi'râj [on the twenty-seventh night of the blessed month of Rajab]. He entered Paradise and was honoured with the fortune of ru'yat. O our Allah! Thou bless that great Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', on our part with the goodness suitable with his greatness! Also, Thou give favours, goodness to all the other Prophets 'alâ nabiyyinâ wa alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât', for they have invited people to know Thee and to attain Thine love, and they have guided people to the way which Thou likest. Most of the followers of the way of tasawwuf looked for the medicine for their diseases in other places because they were not informed of the inner nature of namâz, because they were not taught the virtues peculiar to namâz. They held fast to other things in order to get to their purpose. Some of them even considered namâz as extraneous to this way, as having nothing to do with the purpose. They considered fasting superior to namâz. The author of the book **Futûhât** [Hadrat Muhyiddîn-i Arabî 'quddisa sirruh'] said: "Fast, being an abstinence from eating and drinking, is to be qualified with Allah's attributes, to approach to Him. But namâz is to become different, to get away, to establish the difference between the worshipper and the worshipped one." This statement, as it is seen, arises from the matter of tawhîd-i wujûdî, which is a manifestation of the intoxication by the Divine Love. Many others who could not realize the inner nature of namâz looked for the passification of their sufferings and for the consolation of their souls in music, in rapture, in becoming unconscious. They supposed that the Beloved One was behind musical notes. For this reason, they held fast to dancing. However, they had heard about the hadîth, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ has not created a healing effect in harâm."** Yes, an inexperienced swimmer who is about to drown will snatch at any herb. Love of something deafens, blinds the lover. If they had been made to taste something of the virtues of namâz, they would never mention music, nor would they even think of rapture. A line:

Not seeing the right way, they have strayed into the desert.

O my brother! The perfection originating from namâz and the sorrow caused by music are as far from each other as the distance between namâz and music. He who is wise enough will infer much from this denotation! This is such a superiority that it appears a thousand years after our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. It is such an end which resembles the beginning. It may be for this reason that our Prophet said, "Which **is better, the beginning or the end?"** instead of saying "the beginning or the middle?" This means to say that seeing that the last ones are more like the early ones he preferred the sceptical side and said so. In another hadîth he stated: **"The most useful ones of this Ummat are the early ones and the last ones. Between these two it is blurred."** Yes, among the last ones of this Ummat there will be those who are very much like the early ones. But they are few. They are very few. The intermediate do not resemble them so much, yet their number is great. They are very many. But the fact that the last ones are few has increased their value even more, thus making them resemble the early ones all the more. Our Prophet stated: **"The Islamic dîn began gharîb** [forlorn, poor, needy and alone]. **And its end will be gharîb again. Good news to these gharîb people!"** The end of this Ummat began a thousand years after our Prophet's 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' death, that is, with the second millennium [in the hijri year 1011]. For, there will be a great change in people and a strong alteration in things with the elapse of a thousand years. Since Allâhu ta'âlâ will not change this dîn until the end of the world, He will protect it against being defiled despite the efforts of the enemies of the dîn; the freshness of the early ones has been seen on the last ones. He is strengthening His Sharî'at at the beginning of the second millennium. To prove this word of ours, we will point out Hadrat Îsâ 'alâ nabiyyinâ wa alaihissalât wassalâm' and Hadrat Mahdî as strong witnesses.

O my brother! These words might hurt the feelings of many people. They might sound unreasonable to them. But if they assess these pieces of information and ma'rifats with reason, and if they compare them in view of the Sharî'at, they will see which respects and reveres the Sharî'at more, and thus they will admit the fact.

In all my books and letters, this faqîr has written that the tarîqat and haqîqat are serving the Sharî'at, that prophethood is higher than wilâyat, and that even the wilâyat of a prophet is lower than his prophethood. I have informed that the grades of wilâyat, when compared with the perfections of prophethood, are not even a drop of water compared with a sea, plus many other facts. If they see how I have explained tasawwuf, especially in a letter which I sent to my son [first volume, two hundred and sixtieth letter, which the great scholar wrote to Muhammad Sâdîq], they will come to reason. My purpose in writing this is to manifest the blessings of Allâhu ta'âlâ and to encourage youngsters. They are not intended to make a show of superiority to others. May Allah protect me against such a presumption. It is harâm for a person who recognizes Allâhu ta'ala to deem himself superior to a Frankish disbeliever. Then, what would become of a person who would deem himself superior to the superiors of the dîn? A poem:

If the Sultan picks me up from the earth,  
It will be proper if I think my head is above heaven.

I am the earth which the April's cloud pities,  
And then it showers upon me its fruitful rain.

Even if my body had hundreds of tongues,  
How could I ever fulfil the thanks worthy of Thee?

If upon reading this letter a desire arises in you to learn the real essence of namâz and to attain to some of the perfections peculiar to it, and if the desire becomes too strong to endure, perform istihâra and then come over to this part (of the country) to spend one part of your life learning about namâz. Only Allâhu ta'âlâ shows men the right way and the way to endless bliss and guides them. May Allâhu ta'âlâ give salvation to those who walk along the right path and those fortunate people who have been honoured with adapting themselves to Muhammad Mustafâ 'alaihi wa alâ âlihissalawâtu wattaslîmât'.

35 - TAWAKKUL

The eighth chapter of the fourth part, beginning on the five hundred and eighth page of the India-1281-hijrî-year edition, of the book Kimyâ-i-sa'âdat, the Persian original by Imâm-i Muhammad Ghazâlî, has been translated literally and written below:

Another grade which those who appoach Allâhu ta'âlâ pass through is tawakkul, and its grade is very high. Yet tawakkul is difficult and delicate to learn. And it is even more difficult to practise it. For, if a person thinks that someone other than Allâhu ta'âlâ affects actions and deeds, his tawhîd will be defective. If he says there is no need for any causes, he will have deviated from the Sharî'at. If he says that it is unnecessary to put the causes in between, he will have been unreasonable. If he says that they are necessary, he will have put his tawakkul (trust) in the one who has prepared the causes, a case which shows a defect in tawhîd. As it is seen, tawakkul should be understood in such a manner as to agree with both mind and the Sharî'at and tawhîd. Such an understanding requires deep knowledge. Then, not everybody can understand it. We shall first clarify the value of tawakkul, then explain what it means, and then prescribe how to obtain it.

The virtue of tawakkul: Allâhu ta'âlâ has commanded everybody to have tawakkul and declared, **"Tawakkul is a requirement for îmân."** It is purported in the sûra **of Mâida: "If you have îmân, put your tawakkul in Allâhu ta'âlâ."** In the sûra of **'Imrân:Certainly Allâhu ta'âlâ likes those who have tawakkul."** In the sûra of **Talâq: "If a person puts his tawakkul in Allâhu ta'âlâ, Allâhu ta'âlâ is sufficient for him."** In the sûra of **Zumar: "Isn't Allâhu ta'âlâ sufficient for His born slave?"** And there is many an âyat like these.

Once Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' said, **"They showed me some of my Ummat. They covered mountains and saharas. I was surprised and pleased to see that they were so many. 'Are you pleased?' they said, and I said, 'Yes, I am.' They said, 'Only seventy thousand of these will go to Paradise without any questioning.' 'Which ones,' I asked. 'They are the ones who do not mix their deeds with sorcery, spell, incantation or augury,** **and who do not put their tawakkul and trust in anybody besides Allâhu ta'âlâ."** Uqâsha 'radiyallâhu anh', who was among the listeners, stood up and said, "O Rasûlullâh! Pray for me so that I shall be one of them." So Rasûlullah prayed, **"O my Allah! Include him among them!"** But when someone else stood up and asked for the same prayer, he stated, **"Uqâsha has forestalled you."**

He stated in another hadîth, **"If you put your tawakkul in Allâhu ta'âlâ thoroughly, He would send your sustenance as He sends it to the birds. Birds go out with empty, hungry stomachs in the morning and come back with their stomachs filled, satiated in the evening." He stated in a hadîth, "If a person trusts himself to Allâhu ta'âlâ, Allâhu ta'âlâ will come to his help in his every** **deed. He will send him food from places which he does not expect at all. If anyone trusts the world, He will leave him in the world."** When Hadrat Ibrâhim was put on the catapult and was about to be hurled into the fire, he said, **"Hasbiyallah wa ni'mal wakîl,"** which means "My Allah will suffice for me. He is a good guardian, a good helper." As he fell into the fire Hadrat Gabriel (Jebrâil) came to him and asked, "Do you have any wish?" "Yes, I do, but not from you," he said. Thus, he proved true to the word "Hasbiyallah." Therefore, he was praised in the sûra of **Wannajmi: "Ibrâhim, a man of his word."** Allâhu ta'âlâ declared to Hadrat Dâwûd: **"If a person gives up hope of everything and puts his trust in Me only, I shall certainly rescue him even if all the beings on earth and in heaven strive to harm and deceive him."** Sa'îd bin Jubayr narrates: "Once a scorpion stung me on the hand. My mother adjured me to hold out my hand so that they would utter an incantation, that is, lots of absurd words. I held out my other hand, so they chanted some incantatiton." Sa'îd did not hold out his hand because Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' had stated, **"A person who practises incantation or who cauterizes with fire has not put his tawakkul in Allâhu ta'âlâ."** Hadrat Ibrâhim Ad'ham 'quddisa sirruh' asked a priest, "How do you make a living?" The other replied, "Ask the One who sends my sustanence whence He sends it. I don't know." Someone was asked, "You pray everyday. What do you eat and drink?" He showed his teeth in answer. That is, "He who makes the mill will send its water," he meant to say. Haram bin Hayyân asked Uways Qarnî [who is also called Waysalqarânî], "Where shall I settle?" "In Damascus," he answered. When the former asked, "I wonder how the life standard in Damascus is?" the latter said, "Shame upon those hearts who doubt about their sustenance! Advice will do them no good!"

Tawakkul is something which the heart will do, and it originates from îmân. There are various kinds of îmân. But tawakkul is based upon two of them. These are the îmân in tawhîd and the îmân in the muchness of Allah's favour and mercy.

**Tawhîd, the basis of tawakkul:** It will take a long time to explain tawhîd, and the knowledge of tawhîd is the last one of all the branches of knowledge. Here, we shall describe it only as far as necessary for tawakkul. Tawhîd has four grades. That is, it has one kernel and one kernel of the kernel. And it has the shell and the shell's shell. This means to say that it has two kernels and two shells. Tawhîd is like a fresh walnut. Everybody knows the two shells of a walnut as well as its kernel. And the kernel of its kernel is its oil.

The first grade of tawhîd is to say **"La ilâha il-lal lah"** with the tongue only and not to believe it with the heart. So is the tawhîd of munâfiqs.

The second grade is the heart's believing the meaning of this kalima-i tawhîd. This belief is either by seeing, hearing from others, e.g. the belief of us, the ignorant people, or one believes through proofs, with mind's proving. So is the belief of the savants of dîn, of the masters of the knowledge of Kalâm.

The third grade: to see that one creator creates everything, to realize that all work is done by one agent only and that none else does anything. This seeing and understanding requires a nûr being lit in the heart. Such an îmân is unlike the îmân of the ignorant or of the savants of Kalâm. Their îmân is lîke a curtain put over the heart with the tricks of imitation and proving. But this seeing and realizing is the heart's being opened and the curtain's going up. For example, there are three kinds of believing that the resident of a house is in the house:

1 - To believe it by hearing someone say so. The îmân through imitation is a reminiscence of this.

2 - To believe by seeing the things used by the resident every day, such as his mount, his headgear and shoes in the house. This is an example for the îmân of the savants of Kalâm.

3 - To believe by seeing the resident in the house. This is an example for the tawhîd of ârifs. Though such tawhîd has a very high grade, its owner sees both the creatures and the Creator, and knows that they were created by the Creator. Since he sees the creatures, his tawhîd cannot be perfect.

The fourth grade: He sees one being. He does not see more than one. Men of tasawwuf call this state **'Fanâ in tawhîd.'**
Of the four grades above, the first one is the tawhîd of munâfiqs and is like the outer shell of a walnut. As the outer shell of a walnut is bitter and looks ugly from within though a lovely green from outside, and when burned it makes lots of smoke and puts the fire out and is useless except that it protects the walnut for a few days, so the munâfiq's tawhîd has no other use than to protect him against death in the world. When the body rots away and the soul is left alone after death, it will be useless. The tawhîd of the ignorant and of the savants of Kalâm, the second grade, is like the wooden second shell of the walnut. As this wooden shell of the walnut does not avail except to protect the walnut for a while, so this grade of tawhîd avails only in protecting one from Hell's fire. The third grade is like the walnut's kernel. The kernel is the useful part of the walnut, yet, when compared to the oil of the walnut, it will be seen that it only bears the sediment. What makes the third grade look like the sediment is the state of seeing creatures in this grade. The real tawhîd is in the fourth grade and nothing other than Allah is seen. One even forgets about oneself.

**Question:** It is difficult to attain to the fourth grade of tawhîd. How is it to see all the things as one being? We see various means and we see the earth, the sky, the creatures. Are all these the same one thing?

**Answer:** It is easy to understand the first, second and third grades of tawhîd. It is the fourth grade which is difficult to understand. Yet this kind of tawhîd is not necessary for tawakkul. It is difficult to describe it to someone who has not tasted it. Let me say briefly that many different things may be alike in one respect. Therefore, they may be thought of as the same one thing. Likewise, when an ârif sees all the things as the same one thing in one particular respect, he sees all of them as one thing. For example, there are such things as flesh, skin, head, feet, eyes, ears, stomach and lungs in man. But with respect to being human, they are all one body, and, when we think of a man we do not remember his different parts, but we think of thim as one body. When we are asked what we are thinking of we say that we are thinking of nothing but one thing. When we see a man we say that we see no more than one body. There is such a grade of ma'rifat [knowledge] in tasawwuf that an ârif who reaches there sees all the things existing as related to one another in one respect. He sees various things in the world in one respect only, he finds it like the position of the man's limbs with respect to his mind and soul. A person who does not understand the meaning of the hadîth, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ created Adam in His own attributes,"** cannot understand these words of ours. We have explained this hadîth a little at the beginning of the book **Kimyâ-i sa'âdat.** It would not be right to explain it any more. Mind could not comprehend it and it would be misunderstood.

The third grade of tawhîd suffices for tawakkul. We have explained this grade of tawhîd at full length in our book **Ihyâ-ul-'ulûm.** You can read that. As we have said in the chapter about shukr (thanks) in the book **Kimyâ-i sa'âdat,** the sun, moon and stars, the clouds, the rain and the wind, and all the forces in nature are under Allah's will and command. They are like a pen in the writer's hand. Nothing moves unless Allâhu ta'âlâ wishes it to. Then, it is not right to say that the work is done by the causes. It is like thinking that a director's decree and command are from the paper and pencil. It is wrong to think that man has some authority in as much as he has will and option. For, Allâhu ta'âlâ, again, gives man option. Man does something with his power. And this power is dependent upon his option. But [according to the Ash'arî madhhab], his option wishes what it is created for. Since his option is not within his power, so his power, and what he does, is not within his power. For understanding this better, let us classify men's actions in three groups:

1 - Natural [physical] movements, e.g. to sink when stepping on water.

2 - Involuntary actions, such as breathing.

3 - Optional actions. Talking, walking, etc.

The natural movements are not within man's power. Like any object which is heavier than water, man will sink in water. As the stone's sinking in water is not of its option, so man's sinking is beyond his option.

So are the involuntary actions such as breathing. For, we cannot help breathing even if we do not want to breathe. The will to breathe happens automatically. If we thrust a pin at a person's eye, he will close his eyes willy-nilly. He cannot help closing his eye. For, the will to close the eye will happen automatically at that moment. For some natural reasons like in sinking in water, the eye will be closed spontaneously. This comes to mean that men are compelled in their involuntary actions.

It is difficult to observe the optional actions such as talking and walking. Man does such actions if he wants to, and he does not if the does not want to. But man's wishing to do something requires mind's liking it and saying that it is good. In fact, after mind's thinking for a while if it will be good or not and then deciding that it will be good, the wish happens compulsorily and the limbs start moving. Like the moving of the eye upon seeing the pin, the limbs spring into action. The mere difference is that the pin's harm to the eye and the use of closing the eye are known every moment and without any need to think, the will happens, and from the will originates the power. Since there is no thinking here, the closing of the eye is like sinking in water. For instance, if they run after a person with a cudgel, and if the person is suddenly confronted with an abyss on his way, he will prefer the one which is less harmful. That is, if he thinks that jumping down into the abyss is less harmful than being battered, he will jump down and escape. If he thinks it is dangerous to jump down, the feet will stop willy-nilly, he will not be able to go any further. As it is understood, action is dependent upon will and will depends upon mind. As a matter of fact, if a person wants to kill himself, he cannot do it though he may be holding a pistol in his hand. For, the power that will make the hand move is dependent upon will and will depends upon mind. When mind says that it is good and useful, the will starts moving. But mind is not independent, either. Mind is likened to a mirror. The vision of something good is seen on mind's mirror. It is not seen if it is not useful. If a person faces some trouble that he cannot endure and thinks that death will be better, then it will be seen. The reason why such actions are called optional is because (they are done after) their benefits are seen. Otherwise, if their benefits are seen spontaneously, they will be compulsory like breathing and closing the eye. The compulsion of both will be like that of sinking in water. As it is seen, the causes are connected to one another. There are many links in the chain of causes. We have explained this in detail in our book **Ihyâ-ul-'ulûm.** The power which has been created in man is one of the links of this chain of causes. As it is understood, it is not right for a person to boast of having done something good. What falls to his share from a good deed is no more than acting as a means. In other words, the option and power which are the causes for doing something useful have been created in him. Since power and option were not created in a tree, we say that the tree's swaying in the wind is an indispensable and compulsory movement. When Allâhu ta'âlâ creates everything, His divine power is not dependent upon anything but Himself, so His deeds are called ihtirâ', that is, creation. Man is not so; his power and will are dependent upon causes that are beyond his power and his deeds are unlike Allah's; so man's deeds are not called creation or ihtirâ'. However, man is unlike a tree. He contains power and will, which happen in him willy-nilly, so his deeds cannot be said to be compulsory, either. In order to distinguish them from both types of deeds, the savants looked for another name, at last calling them kasb (acquiring). This means to say that though man's deeds are done by him optionally, his option is not within his power. Then, he can do nothing.

[The Commandments of Allâhu ta'âlâ are classified into two groups: **awâmir-i taklîfiyya, awâmir-i takwîniyya**. The first group includes His commandments and prohibitions enjoined on genies and human beings. Actions contained in the first group are willed and created by Him after they have been wanted and opted by men. The second ones are created immediately with their causes. All natural events are examples of this. The ripening of a fruit over a long process of time is a collection of events (each of) which He creates instantly.]

**Question:** Since man can do nothing, why should he be rewarded or tormented; and why were dîns and Sharî'ats sent down?

**Answer:** This question is called **tawhîd in the Sharî'at** and **the Sharî'at in tawhîd.** Many people were drowned here. Escaping its danger has fallen to the lot of only those who can float on this ocean or who can at least swim in it. The majority of people escaping the danger has been due to their not going into the ocean. Because ignorant people do not know how to swim, they should be pitied and protected from being drowned by not being left near the shore. In addition, they do not think of learning how to swim. Most of them drown and annihilate themselves by saying, "We can do nothing. Allâhu ta'âlâ makes everything. A person predestinated as a **shaqî,** disbeliever, cannot change it no matter how hard he may try. And a person who has been predestinated as a **sa'îd,** for Paradise, does not need to work." Such words are always the results of ignorance, of wrong reasoning. Though it is not proper to explain this subject by writing in books, we will explain it a little, since our words have taken this course.

In answer to the question, "What are thawâb and torment for?" we say: Torment is not someone's hurting you in revenge for your having committed an evil deed. Nor is thawâb (reward) his rewarding you because he likes your deed. That day there will be nobody besides Allâhu ta'âlâ to revenge. As we call it illness when there is a change in man's body because there is something wrong with his bile or because other harmful substances in his body have increased, and as we call it health when medicine has cured him, so a sort of fire falls into the soul when anger and lust increase in man. It is this fire that brings man to ruin. It is for this reason that a hadîth declares, **"Wrath is a part of the fire of Hell."** As the light of mind extinguishes the fire of lust and anger when it gets strong, so the nûr of îmân extinguishes the fire of Hell. As a matter of fact, Hell will say to Believers, **"O Believer! Pass** **quickly, or else your nûr will extinguish my fire"** This statement will not be through sounds, but as water extinguishes fire so Hell, not standing against the Believer's nûr, will go out. And the fire of lust will be extinguished with the light of mind. In the next world they will not bring your torment from some other place. As a matter of fact, it is declared, " **Hell is nothing but the evil deeds you have done in the world. They are returned to you."** Then, the seed of Hell's fire is man's lust and wrath. They are inside man. He who knows through 'ilm-yaqîn can see this. As a matter of fact, it is purported in the sûra of **Takâsur, "If you knew through 'ilm-i yaqîn you would certainly see Hell."**

Poison makes man sick. And sickness puts him into the grave. But it cannot be said that poison and sickness become angry with man and revenge themselves on him. Likewise, sinning and lust make the heart sick. This sickness becomes the heart's fire. This fire is of a kind of Hell-fire and is unlike worldly fire. As a magnet attracts pieces of iron, so Hell-fire attracts those who bear this fire. [It is not the anger or the revenge of Hell or of the Zabânîs of Hell, that is, the angels of torment.] So is the case with those who do (actions causing) thawâb. It would take a long time to explain.

[Allâhu ta'âlâ divided the works done by men into two. He said that He liked one part of it and would appreciate those who did them, and promised that He would grant blessings, comfort and goodness in reward for every effort made. The unit of goodness promised is called **ajr** or **thawâb.** Various amounts of rewards will be given in the Hereafter in recompense for every goodness done in this world. The place where blessings will be granted is called **Jannat** (Paradise). Allâhu ta'âlâ declares that He does not like the second part of the works done by men and disapproves of those who do them, and that He will forgive those who repent in sorrow and attain intercession (shafâ'at), that He will very bitterly recompense for the bad deeds of those who will not be forgiven and will burn them in Hell. Such bitter recompense is called **'azâb** (torment). The unit of the severity of azâb is called **ithm** or **ghunâh** (sin). Things liked by Allâhu ta'âlâ are called **khayrât** or **hasanât,** that is, good things. Things He dislikes are called **sayyiât,** that is, evil things. Allâhu ta'âlâ revealed which actions were hasanât and which actions were sayyiât. He promised thawâb for those who do hasanât. Allâhu ta'âlâ is committed to His promise. He never goes back on His word. Then, on the Day of Judgement, no blessing or torture will be taken from anywhere else, but one will meet the reward for what one has done in the world.]

Why did the Sharî'at come? Why were prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât' sent? As for the answer to this question, their being sent is subjugation, compulsion. It is intended to pull people to Paradise by means of the chain of compulsion. Indeed, it is purported, **"Are you astonished to see people being pulled to Paradise with chains?"** The Sharî'at is a lasso that nooses people lest they should go to Hell. Indeed, it is purported, **"Like moths you throw yourselves into the fire. And holding by your belt I pull you back."** Another link in the chain of Allah's attribute Jabbâr [doing whatever He likes] is the words of prophets 'alaihimussalâm'. It is through these words that men can distinguish the right way from wrong ways. The danger pointed out by them forms fear in man. This knowledge of distinguishing and the fear clear away the dust from the mirror of mind. Mind, being polished, realizes that it will be better to take the way to the Hereafter than being seized by the world's pleasures. This realization forms the will to work for the Hereafter. Since man's limbs are dependent upon his will, they then begin to work for the Hereafter. Through this chain, Allâhu ta'âlâ forces you to keep away from Hell and pulls you towards Paradise. Prophets are like shepherds of a flock of sheep. If there is a meadow on the right hand side of the flock and a cavefull of wolves on the left, the shepherd will stand on the side of the cave and sway his stick to drive the flock towards the meadow. The sending of prophets 'alaihimussalâm' is reminiscent of this.

As for the question, "What use it is for a person who is to go to Hell to strive," this word is right in one respect, while it is wrong in another respect. It is right because it brings ruination to the person who says it. For, the sign of having been predestined for Hell in the eternal past is the occurrence of this question in mind and consequently one's not working and sowing one's seeds. He who does not sow the seeds in the world cannot harvest in the Hereafter. What signifies that it has been predestined in the eternal past that a person will die of hunger is the coming of the thought, "It will do me no good to eat and drink if it has been written on my forehead that I shall die of hunger," to his heart. Because he thinks so he does not eat or drink and then dies of hunger. Likewise, a person who says, "If poverty is my fate what use is it to work?" does not work and certainly becomes poor. But a person whose fate is happiness and wealth thinks and says, "Those who are predestined as rich will work." This thought of his drives him to work. Then, these thoughts are not meaningless. They occur to the heart on account of the predestination in the eternal past. They cause the predestination to manifest. The cause of whatever a person is created for will be brought before him. It is not without reason that he is given the work. For this reason it has been purported, **"Work! Whatever a person is created for will be made easy for him!"** Then everyone, from the situations and actions into which he has been driven, can make a guess about his predestination and what will become of him in the Hereafter. A student who studies his lessons and who does his duty should deem this state of his as glad tidings, a symptom signifying that he will pass his course and that he will occupy a ranking position in the future. But if the thought, "If my destiny is ignorance, it will be of no use no matter how hard I study," is brought to his heart, and he does not study but wastes his time; it should be inferred that ignorance is his destiny. So should the qadâ and qadar be known pertaining to the situation in the Hereafter. As a matter of fact, it is purported in the sûra of **Loqmân,** **"The creation of you all in the world and your resurrection in the Hereafter are like the creation and resurrection of one person."** And it is purported in the sûra of **Jâsiyya, "Their states in the Hereafter are like** **their states in this world."** He who understands this writing of ours well will have tawhîd. He will realize that the Sharî'at, mind and tawhîd agree with one another.

The second îmân, which is the basis of tawakkul, is to believe that Allâhu ta'âlâ is Rahîm (merciful, compassionate), Hakîm (judicious, wise) and Latîf (gracious). His grace and mercy reach every creature from the ant to man. His mercy, goodness upon His slaves is more than a mother's mercy upon her child. A hadîth also has stated that this is so. His grace, His mercy are so much so that He has created the world and everything in the world in the best manner. Anything better than that is impossible. He has not deprived any creature of His compassion and grace. Even if all the sages on the earth came together and made researches, they could not find a more suitable, a better form of anything He has created. They would realize that everything has been created as it should be. The most suitable, the most perfect form of something which has been created ugly is its being ugly. Were it not ugly, it would be defective, out of place. For, if it were not for ugliness, for instance, none would appreciate beauty, nor would there be any taste in beauty. If it were not for the defective, the perfect things would not be appreciated, nor would perfection be sweet.

For, perfection and defectiveness are recognized by a comparison with each other. For example, if the father is not, the child is not either; nor can anyone be a father without a child. Existence of one of such pairs is known by the existence of the other. Measurement can be done between two things. If there are not two things, measuring gives no result. Men may not realize the value of Allah's deeds. But it is necessary to believe that the most useful, the best form is the one created by Him. In short, all the things in the world, illness, weakness, even sins and disbelief, nonexistence, defects, cares and sorrows are not without ultimate divine causes or benefits, nor out of place. All of them have been created in the most suitable, the most useful manner. The most suitable thing for a person whom He has created poor is to be poor. If the person were rich, he would end up in perdition. The case is the same with a person whom He has created rich. This, like the tawhîd section, is like an open sea. Many people have been drowned in this ocean. This, like the matter of qadar, cannot be explained; nor is there permission to explain it. If we dive into this ocean, we will have to go into long details. But it will be sufficient to believe it as far as we have explained.

What does tawakkul mean? Tawakkul is a state that takes place in the heart. It takes place by believing in tawhîd and in the fact that Allâhu ta'âlâ has boundless goodness and grace. This state is the heart's trusting, depending on and believing the Deputy and its feeling safe with Him. Such a person does not set his heart on worldly property. He does not feel sorry for his worldly failures. He feels sure that Allâhu ta'âlâ will send his sustenance. Let's give an example of this. If they defame a person and bring a law-suit against him, he will hire an advocate. If he trusts the advocate in three respects his heart will feel at rest. Firstly, the advocate's knowing the defamation, the trick well. Secondly, his not hesitating to tell the truth and his ability to talk well and explicitly so that he can express himself well. Thirdly, the advocate's pitying him and doing his best to save his right. If he believes and trusts his advocate so, he will not have to do anything additional on his part. A person who understands well the âyat, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ is sufficient for us. He is the best deputy,"** in the sûra of **Âl-i 'Imrân,** who says that Allâhu ta'âlâ makes everything and that none other than He can do anything, and who believes that there is no deficiency in His knowledge or power and that His compassion, His goodness are endless, will not reckon on anybody other than Allâhu ta'âlâ as the source of goodness, nor will he depend on precautions or means. He will say, "My sustenance has been allotted and reserved. It will reach me when the time comes." He will say, "Allâhu ta'âlâ will treat me as it becomes His greatness and mercy." Some people believe this. However, they have an inner feeling of fear, hopelessness. There are many people who believe in something but whose natures do not agree with their belief, so they follow illusions and fancies. In fact, though they know that these fancies are wrong, they still give heed to them. An example of this is the person who stops eating something sweet and cannot eat it any more because somebody has likened it to something foul. Though he knows that the comparison is wrong and it is unlike anything foul, he still cannot eat it. Another example is the person who cannot sleep in a room alone where there is a dead man. Though he knows that a dead man is like a stone and cannot move, he cannot sleep there. As it is seen, tawakkul requires both a strong îmân and a strong heart. Thus, there will be no doubt left in one's heart. Unless the feeling of trust and ease are complete, tawakkul will not be complete. For, tawakkul means the heart's believing and trusting Allâhu ta'âlâ in everything. Hadrat Ibrâhîm's îmân, conviction was complete. But, in order that his heart would feel easy, he said, **"O my Allah? Show me how You resurrect the dead!"** When he was asked, **"Do you not believe?"** as purported in the sûra of Baqara, he said, **"I do believe. But I want it so that my heart will feel calm."** There was conviction in his heart. But he wanted his heart to feel satisfied and become peaceful. For, the heart's comfort is first dependent upon feeling and imagining; later, however, the heart also will depend on conviction and will no longer need to see clear evidence.

GRADES OF TAWAKKUL

There are three grades of tawakkul.

He who is in the first grade is like a person who trusts in a zealous, above-board, bold and compassionate advocate.

The person who is in the second grade is like a child. A child thinks that everything given to it is sent by its mother. When hungry it looks for its mother. When in fear it takes refuge with its mother. This state of the child is from itself, it is not taught by someone else, nor is it through force. Nor is it within the child's will. A person who is in this grade is not aware of his tawakkul. For, he does not deem his deputy separate from himself. Yet the one in the first grade knows of his tawakkul and has tawakkul through the force of his will.

The person who is in the third grade is like a dead man in the hands of the person who washes him. He sees himself as a dead man who moves with Allah's power. If he faces trouble and pain he does not even pray so that he will be saved from them. Whereas the baby calls to its mother when it suffers any pain, this one is such a child as will not call to its mother. For, it knows that its mother is looking at it all the time and is ready to run to its rescue.

The options of those who are in this third grade are not within their wills, either. Only, those in the second grade run to the attorney and beg him. There is option in the first grade, and he holds fast to the habits and means recommended by the deputy. For instance, if it is the attorney's habit not to go to the law court unless his client is present there and the file is ready, he prepares these means and then leaves the job to the attorney. From then on he expects eveything from the attorney. He also knows that his preparing the file is from the attorney. For he has prepared it with the attorney's habit and indication. Then, those who are in the first grade do trade, farming. They learn a craft. They hold fast to the means that are Allah's habits, laws. But they do not give up tawakkul. They trust not in their work, but in Allah's superiority, fadl and favouring. They expect Him only to make them reach their goal through the means they have resorted to. As a matter of fact, they say that He sent the means of trade and farming, too. Holding fast to the means, they know that what they obtain is from Allâhu ta'âlâ. And this is the meaning of the âyat, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ, alone, gives strength to everything,"** which is in the sûra of **Kahf.** For, hawl (in Arabic) means action. And strength means power, energy. If a person knows that his strength is not from himself but from Allah's creation, he expects everything from Him only. In short, a person who forgets about causes acting as intermediaries in the formation of actions expects nothing from anybody besides Allâhu ta'âlâ, and, thus, he has had tawakkul.

The highest grade of tawakkul is defined by Bâyazîd-i Bestâmî, the sultan of ârifs, as follows: Abû Mûsâ Dinawârî said: "I asked Bâyazîd what tawakkul meant. He asked what my opinion was. I said that the savants said, 'It is tawakkul when nothing would come to your heart if there were lots of snakes and scorpions on your right, on your left, all around you.' He said: 'In my opinion tawakkul is to see all disbelievers being tormented in Hell and all Believers being blessed with favours and gifts in Paradise and still not to see any difference between the two cases.' " What Abû Mûsâ describes is the high grade of tawakkul. But this does not mean that you should not beware of danger. Hadrat Abû Bakr 'radiyallâhu anh', when he was in the cave (with the Prophet), defended (the Prophet and himself) against the snake by putting his blessed foot on its hole, though his tawakkul was higher. It was not the snake that he was afraid of. He was afraid of the snake's Creator, that He might give the snake strength and motion. He saw that only Allâhu ta'âlâ gives strength and motion to everybody. Bâyazîd's word reveals the îmân which is the basis for tawakkul, which is the îmân, the belief in Allah's justice, hikmat, compassion and favour. It is the belief in that everything He makes is in its proper place. A Believer with such îmân sees no difference between torment and blessing.

HOW TO PERFORM TAWAKKUL?

Every grade in Islam is based upon three fundamentals: 'ilm (knowledge), hâl (state), and 'amal (deed). We have defined what tawakkul is and explained its state. Now we shall explain its deed, i.e., how to do tawakkul. Many people think that tawakkul is to leave things to take their own course; not to do anything with one's option; not to work to earn money; not to save; not to avoid snakes, lions or poisons; not to take medicine when sick; not to learn Islam, the Sharî'at; and not to keep away from the enemies of Islam. [Also, the enemies of Islam, by giving tawakkul and contentment such a meaning, say that Islam is laziness, that the dîn is opium. They attack Islam. They strive to deceive youngsters and to make them disbelievers, nonbelievers. They basely slander Islam.] It is wrong to think of tawakkul as such. It is incompatible with the Sharî'at. Tawakkul is something commanded by the Sharî'at. How can those things unsuitable with the Sharî'at ever be tawakkul?

There are different kinds of tawakkul in optional actions, that is, in actions done willingly, in earning money and property, in using one's existing money and property, in avoiding danger and in curing illnesses and the sick. We will explain these four kinds of tawakkul in their right order:

1 - Tawakkul in earning property and in buying useful things:

Here the tawakkul of bachelors, of those who live alone, and the tawakkul of the married, of those who have others to support, are unlike each other.

For those who have nobody else to support, in their earning property, in their satisfying their needs, there are three kinds of tawakkul with regard to causes:

I - First kind of causes are the means which it is Allah's divine habit ('âdat) to make means for His creating something. [To create means to make from nothing, or to turn existing things into things with other properties through laws of physics, chemistry, physiology or metaphysics.] These causes are learned with experience. It is not tawakkul, but it would be madness, idiocy, not to hold fast to such causes. For example, it would be idiocy, not tawakkul, not to eat anything when you are hungry and to say that Allah will feed you if He likes without eating or that He will send the food to your mouth without you touching it with your hand or to say that Allah will give you children without your performing nikâh and marrying. In actions dependent upon causes that are learned by experience, it is not tawakkul to give up causes. But it is to have tawakkul on the level of knowledge and state. To have tawakkul on the level of knowledge is to know the fact that Allâhu ta'âlâ created all the means for satisfying hunger, namely, the hand, the mouth, the teeth, the stomach, the means of digestion, the food, the bread and the physiological movements. To have tawakkul on the level of state is the heart's trusting in Allah's goodness, its not trusting in eating, in the hand, in the mouth or in the health. The hand can be paralysed at any moment. One can catch an alimentary disease some day, and eating could be of no value. Then in the creation of the food and in its coming to us and in its being digested, we should trust not in our own actions or strength but in Allah's favouring and goodness.

II - Second kind of causes are those that are not a hundred per cent effective but which are necessary most of the time. It is not tawakkul to give up such causes, either. For example, though it is mostly useful to get food and drink when setting out for a journey, sometimes there is no need for such means. It was our Prophet's sunnat and our savants' habit to hold fast to such means. Tawakkul is not to depend upon such means, which are not useful sometimes. One should depend on the One who creates and sends the means. It is not a sin to give up such means. It is because one's tawakkul is strong. This means to say that it is a sin not to eat and drink. But it is not a sin for a traveller not to carry food. But there are two conditions for its not being a sin; one has to be strong enough to endure hunger for several days and must be used to eating what one finds on one's way. Ibrâhîm Hawwâs 'quddisa sirruh' had tawakkul. On a long journey he would not take food with him, but he would take a needle, a pocket-knife, a rope and a bucket. For, these are things that are a hundred percent effective and always useful. Water cannot be drawn up without a rope and a bucket from a well in the desert. When one's clothes are torn nothing else can serve like a needle. We say again that it is not tawakkul to give up the means whose effect is not for sure. It is tawakkul to hold fast to the means and yet to rely not upon the means but upon Allâhu ta'âlâ. This means to say that it is harâm to live in a cave far from any city and to say that one is having tawakkul. It means to throw oneself into death. It means to stand against Allah's law and habit. The state of such a person is like the state of a person who hires a lawyer but does not give the file to the lawyer though he knows that it is the lawyer's habit not to go to the law court without reading the papers in the file, and he still relies on the lawyer. Once upon a time a person wanted to become a zâhid and cease from the world. He entered a cave in the mountains, did tawakkul and waited for sustenance. Days passed but nothing came to him. He was about to die of hunger, when Allâhu ta'âlâ commanded the prophet of that time, "Go and tell that idiot! If he does not go into the city and live among the people, I will kill him with hunger. Does he want to violate My 'âdat?" After the prophet informed him of this, he went into the city, where something was brought to him from each part of the city. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares: **"I like to send My slaves their food not directly but through My other slaves."** Likewise, it is harâm for a person to hide himself somewhere in the city or to shut himself up in his house and do tawakkul by not opening the door to anybody. It is not permissible to give up causes that are certain. If he does not shut the door of the house in the city and opens it for those who will come by, he will have done tawakkul, on condition that his mind will not be busy with the door, nor will he wonder if there is somebody bringing something. His heart should be with Allâhu ta'âlâ only. He should be busy with worshipping. Even if there are no means in sight, he should still know for certain that his sustenance will not be cut off. It has been said that if you run away from your sustenance, your sustenance will run after you, and it is true. If a person invokes Allâhu ta'âlâ, "O Allah! Don't give me sustenance!" Allâhu ta'âlâ will declare, "O you ignoramus! I have created you. Why shouldn't I give your sustanence?" Then, to have tawakkul means to hold fast to causes and to depend not upon causes but upon the Creator of causes. Everybody is eating Allah's sustenance. But some eat it by putting up with the disgrace of begging, some [e.g. tradesmen, merchants] by suffering the boredom of waiting, some [e.g. artists, workers] by getting tired, and some [e.g. men of knowledge] in dignity and comfort without expecting from anybody but Allâhu ta'âlâ.

III - Third group of causes are those whose effect is not for certain, nor are they always necessary but are obtained by thinking and searching. Earning money through such causes is like curing the sick by means of augury and incantation, about which our Prophet'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', while explaining tawakkul, stated, **'Those who have tawakkul do not cure the sick by augury and incantation."** He did not say, "Those who have tawakkul do not work or live in cities, but they go to the mountains."

There are three grades of tawakkul while holding to causes:

a) A single person who is in a high grade of tawakkul lives far away from the city lest he will commit sins and in order that he will not trespass against anybody. He does not take anything with him. When he becomes hungry he eats whatever he finds. If he cannot find anything to eat he does not fear that he will die of hunger. If he suffers hunger, even if he is about to die of hunger, he deems it good for himself. For, a traveller who takes something to eat with him may be robbed, even killed on the way, which has happened many times. But it is not wâjib to avoid such an event.

b) A person in the second grade does not earn money, but he does not leave town, either. He worships in mosques. He does not expect anything from anybody. He expects from Allâhu ta'âlâ.

c) A person who is in the third grade works to earn money. But he observes the Sharî'at, the sunnat in his every action. He avoids playing tricks, looking for subtle means or dealing with commercial information. A person who does not avoid these has dived into the third group of causes and does not have tawakkul.

To have tawakkul does not mean not to work. For, Hadrat Abû Bakr had perfect tawakkul in everything he did. After he was elected the Khalîfa, he went on selling tissues at a market-place. When he was told, "O you, the Khalîfa! Is it appropriate to trade while presiding over the state?" he stated, "How can I support the people if I don't support my household?" Upon this, they decided it would be de rigueur to pay the Khalîfa a stipend from the Bayt-ul-mâl. From then on, he always kept busy with matters of the public. He was the highest of those who had tawakkul, yet he did trade. But he did not think of earning money. He deemed his earnings not from his capital or work but from Allâhu ta'âlâ. Nor did he like his own property more than the property of his Muslim brothers.

Having tawakkul requires zuhd. And being zâhid, in its turn, does not require tawakkul. Abû Ja'far-i Haddâd was Junayd-i Baghdâdî's master. [Haddâd means blacksmith.] He had very much tawakkul. For twenty years he did not let anybody know of his tawakkul. Every day he earned one dinâr at the market place. [A dinâr is equal to one mithqâl of gold. One mithqâl is four grams and eighty centigrams.] He gave all of it as alms to the poor. When he was present Junayd would not talk of tawakkul. "I would feel shame to talk in his presence about things which exist in him," he would say.

It signifies weak tawakkul for men of tasawwuf to walk about at market-places, in bazaars, among the common people. They should stay in their homes and expect things from Allâhu ta'âlâ only. As well, their sitting at a well-known place, at tekkes, is like sitting at a market-place, in which there is the danger that the security in their hearts may originate from their fame. But if they do not remember their fame, they will have had tawakkul like any working man.

In short, the basis of tawakkul is not to expect anything from people, not to rely on causes, and to expect all from Allâhu ta'âlâ only. Ibrâhîm-i Hawwâs says, "I saw Hadrat Khidir. He wanted to make friends with me. But I did not want it. For, I was afraid that my heart would feel calm because of the security given by him and thus my tawakkul would lessen." Ahmad ibni Hanbal hired a worker. He asked one of his disciples to give the worker something plus his daily wage. The worker did not accept it. Later when the worker was gone, "Catch up with him and give it to him. He will accept it now," he said to his disciple. When the disciple wanted to know the reason why, he said, "First his heart had been expecting that we would give him something. So he did not take it. But now, as he is going, he has no such hope left, so it won't harm his tawakkul."

This means to say that the tawakkul of a person who works is not to depend on his capital. And its symptom is that when he loses his capital his heart does not feel worried, or give up hope of his sustenance. For, a person who relies on Allâhu ta'âlâ knows that He will send his sustenance from places he does not expect at all. If He does not send him sustenance, he will think that this is better for him.

It is not easy to acquire such tawakkul. All your property has been stolen, or you have undergone a great catastrophe, and your heart still does not change; this is not something everybody can do. Those who have such tawakkul are very few, but they are not nonexistent. Attaining such tawakkul requires the heart's complete and positive belief in the endlessness of Allah's blessing, compassion and favouring, and in that His power is in the greatest perfection. One must think that He sends sustenance to many people though they do not have any capital, while, on the other hand, many fortunes cause perdition. One must as well know that it is good for oneself if one loses one's own capital. Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"A person spends the night thinking of the thing he is going to do the next day. But that thing will bring calamity upon him. Allâhu ta'âlâ, pitying this slave of His, does not let him do it. And he, in his turn, becomes sorry because he is not able to do it. Thinking, 'Why hasn't this business of mine been accomplished? Who doesn't let me do it? Who on earth is imposing this enmity upon me?' and he begins to think ill of his friends. However, Allâhu ta'âlâ, having mercy upon him, has protected him against calamity."** For this reason Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' said, "If I become poor, needy tomorrow, I will never feel sorry. I will never think of getting rich, for I do not know which is better for me."

What has to be known secondly is that such things as fearing poverty and belief in ill omen are casued by the Devil. As a matter of fact, it is stated in the sûra **of Baqara,"Satan promises you that you will fall into a needy situation."** It is a high ma'rifat to trust in Allah's compassion. It has always been seen that He sends plenty of sustenance from unexpected places through means that could not be thought of. But one should not depend on the secret means, either; one should trust in the Creator of the means. Once there was a man of tawakkul who spent his time worshipping in a mosque every day. The imâm of the mosque said to him, "You are poor. You'd better find a job," to which the man answered, "One of my neighbors, who is a Jew, sends me what I need every day." Then, the imâm said, "Then, you have secured your position. It will do you no harm not to work." Upon this he said to the îmâm, "Then, you better quit your job of being an imâm for the people, for a person who holds a Jew's word superior to Allah's word is not worthy of being an imâm." The imâm of another mosque said to one of the assembly, "How do you make a living?" Upon this the man said, "Wait a minute! I will repeat the namâz which I have performed behind you." That is, he meant to say, "You don't believe the fact that Allâhu ta'âlâ will send the sustenance. Your namâz will not be accepted." Those who have had such complete tawakkul have always been sent their sustenance from unexpected places, and this has consolidated their îmân in the statement, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ will certainly send the sustenance of every living creature on the earth,"** which is declared in the sûra **of Hûd.** Huzayfa-i Mar'âshî used to serve Ibrâhîm-i Ad'ham. When he was asked the reason why, he said, "We were on our way to Mekka, and we became quite hungry. By the time we arrived in Qûfa, I could not walk from hunger. 'Are you exhausted of hunger!' he said. 'Yes' was my answer. He asked for an inkpot, a pen and paper, which I fetched. He wrote the Basmala and the prayer, 'O my Allah, who is relied on in everything, in every case! It is Thou who giveth everything. To Thee do I pay my hamd and my thanks every moment. Not any moment do I ever forget about Thee. I am now hungry, thirsty and naked. The first three are my duty. Surely I will do them. And Thou hast promised the final three. From Thee shall I expect them,' and he gave me the paper. 'Go out, do not expect anything from anybody but Allâhu ta'âlâ, and give this paper to the first man that you will meet,' he said. I went out. I met a man riding a camel first. I gave him the paper. Upon reading it, he began to weep. 'Who wrote this?' he asked. 'Someone in the mosque,' I replied. He gave me a purse full of gold, in which were sixty dinârs. Later, I asked those who were around who the man was. 'He is a Nasrânî (Christian),' they said. I told Ibrâhîm Ad'ham all of this. 'Don't touch the purse. Its owner will come here now,' he said. After a while the Christian came. He sprang down to Ibrâhîm's feet and became a Muslim." Abu Ya'qûb-i Basrî says, "I suffered hunger for days in the blessed city of Mekka; I couldn't endure it any more, when I saw a turnip thrown out into the street. I wanted to take it. But some voice inside me seemed to say: 'You have been patient for ten days. And now you are going to eat that rotten turnip?' I gave up. I went into Masjîd-i harâm and sat there. Someone came and put some newly fried bread, sugar and some almonds in front of me and said, 'I was out in the sea. A storm broke out and I vowed that I would give these to a poor man that I would run into if I should be rescued.' I took a handful of each and gave the rest to the man as a present. Realising that Allâhu ta'âlâ created a storm in the sea in order to help me and then rescued the person for his vow and sent him to me, I thanked Allâhu ta'âlâ. And I repented of having looked for sustenance on the streets." To consolidate îmân it is necessary to read such rare incidents.

If a bachelor's îmân is strong and he abstains from earning money lest he will commit sins, the means for sustenance will come before him. A child is unable to work in its mother's womb, so He sends its sustenance through its navel. After it is born, He sends its food through its mother's breast. When it reaches the age of eating, He creates its teeth. If its parents die and it becomes an orphan, He gives others kindness similar to that which He gave to its parents and fills others' hearts with mercy for the orphan. Formerly it was pitied by its mother only and no one else would look after it. But now, its mother being dead, He makes thousands of people watch it with affection. When it grows up a little older, He gives it the strength to work, plus the desire to earn money. He now places in it mercy upon itself. If the person gives up that desire, chooses the way of taqwâ and makes an orphan of himself, He fills others' hearts with mercy for him again. Everyone says that the person is on the way of Allah and so he must be given the best of everything. As he was earning money, he alone would pity himself. But now everybody pities him. But if he abandons the way of taqwâ, follows his nafs, does not work and earn money, He does not create mercy for him in others' hearts. It is never permissible for such people not to work and sit idly in the name of tawakkul. A person who thinks of himself has to think of getting what he needs by working, too. This means to say that Allah creates in everyone's heart mercy and compassion for a person who is on His way and is like an orphan. For this reason, a person's dying of hunger while being on the way of Allah has never happened. If a person sees and understands in what a great order and perfection the owner of all beings has created everything, he very easily sees the âyat, **"There is not even one creature on earth whom Allâhu ta'âlâ does not give food."** He gets to know that He rules over the âlam very well and does not leave anybody hungry. There have been very few people whom He has killed with hunger, and then He has killed them because it would be better for them, not because they did not work. For, sometimes He also kills those who have earned much property with hunger by taking away their property. Hasan-i Basrî, seeing this subtlety clearly, said, "If all the inhabitants of Basra were my children and if one seed of wheat cost a dinâr, I'd never feel worried." Wahab bin Werd says, "Supposing the sky became iron and the earth turned into bronze, I would not deem myself a Muslim if I felt worried about my sustenance." Allâhu ta'âlâ sends the sustenance from the sky.

[This is communicated clearly in âyats and hadîths. Today scientists have begun to realise this fact. In rainy weather, owing to lightnings, the nitrogen gas in the air chemically combines with oxygen gas, forming a colourless gas called nitrogen monoxide. This gas cannot remain stable in the air. Combining with oxygen again, it turns into nitrogen dioxide. And this gas, which is orange-colored and suffocating, combines with the moisture of the air and turns into nitric acid. On the other hand, the hydrogen gas, which has become free from the air's moisture as a result of its disintegration with the effect of lightning, combines with the air's nitrogen and turns into amonia gas, which, combining with the nitric acid, which has also been formed meanwhile and with the carbon dioxide gas, which already exists in the air, makes the salts called amonium nitrate and amonium carbonate. These two salts, soluble like the salts of all other alcaline metals, descend on the earth with rain. The earth turns these substances into calcium nitrate and gives them to plants. Plants change these salts into albumens (proteins). Proteins pass into grazing animals and men from plants. Men take them from plants and from animals that eat grass. These substances are the building stones of men and animals. Dry proteins contain 14% nitroen gas. Now, it has been calculated today that by means of rains more than four hundred million tons of the air's nitrogen falls on the earth and turns into food each year. The amount that falls on seas is certainly much more than this. We can understand through science today that the sustenance descends from the sky in this manner. It must be descending in many other ways. Maybe in the future science will be able to discover some of them.]

By informing that He sends everyone's sustance down from the sky, Allâhu ta'âlâ declares that no one's sustenance can be intercepted. When they said to Junayd-i Baghdâdî, "We are looking for our sustenance," he said, "Look for it where you know it is, if you ever know where it is." When they said, "We ask for it from Allâhu ta'âlâ," he said, "If you think He has forgotten about you, remind Him!" When they said, "We are having tawakkul. We will see where he will send it from," he said, "Having tawakkul and testing and trying at the same time shows that there is doubt in one's îmân!" When they said, "What should we do, then?" "You should work as He has commanded, you should not worry about your sustenance, nor run after means." We should trust in Allah's promise about sustenance. He makes the person who works in obedience to His command attain his sustenance.

**Tawakkul for the married:** It is not right for a married person to go away from town in order to perform tawakkul. He has to work and hold fast to causes. In other words, the tawakkul of the married must be in the third grade. That is, they have to do tawakkul by working. As a matter of fact, Abu Bakr Siddîq 'radiyallâhu anh' performed tawakkul by working. For, there are two parts of tawakkul. The first one is to endure hunger patiently and eat what one happens to find. The second one is to believe that if the death of hunger is one's destiny it will be good for one. No one is permitted to command these two parts of tawakkul to his household. In fact, a person who is not patient enough is not permitted to have tawakkul without working. If one's wife and children also consent to being patient, then it will be permissible to have tawakkul without working. In short, it is permissible to force oneself to endure inconvenience patiently, but it is not permissible to force one's family.

2 - Tawakkul in preserving existing money and property:

Here, too, the tawakkul of bachelors who have no one else to support is different from the tawakkul of those who have a family to support.

If those who have no one else to support stock their one year's needs, this will spoil their tawakkul. For, in this case they will have trusted in causes. A single person who keeps as much food as to feed himself and as many clothes as to get dressed has had tawakkul. It is said that it would not spoil tawakkul to preserve one's forty days' needs. Sahl bin Abdullah-i Tusturî said, "A single person's preserving his food, no matter for how long, spoils his tawakkul." Abû Tâlib-i Makkî, one of the great men of tasawwuf, said, "If he does not depend on what he preserves, it does not spoil his tawakkul even if he preserves it more than forty days." Bishr-i Hâfî was one of the great men of tasawwuf. One day a guest went up to his presence. He gave a handful of silver to one of his disciples and said, "Go and buy some good and sweet food." Up to that time he had not been seen buying so much. He ate with the guest. The guest, when leaving the house, took the rest of the food with him. Seeing his disciple's astonishment, he said, "This guest was Fat'h-i Mûsulî. He came from Mûsul in order to teach us a lesson. He has showed us that a person whose tawakkul is strong will not be harmed by preserving food." This means to say that tawakkul means not to busy one's mind about the future. For this reason, one should not stock for the future and, if one stocks something, one should not deem it as something in one's own hand but as something which Allâhu ta'âlâ will give in the future; that is, one should not depend on it.

**Tawakkul for the married:** It does not spoil tawakkul for one who has a wife and children to preserve goods for a year. If it is for more than a year, it spoils tawakkul. Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' used to preserve a year's need for his household because their hearts were weak. Yet for himself he would not keep even a day's need. If he had kept it, it would not have harmed his tawakkul. For, it was equal for him if he had or not. But he used to do so in order to teach his Ummat. Once, when one of his Sahâba 'alaihimurridvân' passed away, two gold coins were found in his pocket. Our Prophet stated, **"This is a sign of two torments."** This torment must be the sorrow caused by not reaching a higher grade in Paradise. As a matter of fact, when someone else died, he stated, **"On the Day of Resurrection his face will shine like the full moon. If he had not prepared his summer clothes in winter and his winter clothes in summer it would shine like the sun."** At some other time he declared, **"What you have been given least is yaqîn and patience."** In other words, preparing one's clothes a year before is caused by one's having little yaqîn. However, as agreed by all our superiors, it is permissible and necessary and does not spoil tawakkul to preserve those things that are always necessary in the house, such as water containers, water installation, table services, means of sewing and cleaning. For, Allâhu ta'âlâ has created this world in such an order that food and clothes supply come out freshly every year. It is not permissible to disobey Allah's law. But house gadgets may not be available whenever they are needed.

**NOTE:** If a person's heart does not feel calm when he does not preserve his food and clothing and if in this case he expects others will bring them to him, it is better for him to preserve them. In fact, if a person cannot worship and pay his dhikr to Allâhu ta'âlâ without any worries when he does not have a field, a workshop or any other means of income, it is better for him to get a means of income. For, the real purpose is the heart's thinking of Allâhu ta'âlâ sedately without worries. Some people are busied with property. They cannot worship comfortably while estimating their property. When they have no property any more, they have no worries, no doubts any more. It is better for such people not to have property. Others become comfortable only when they have as much property as to get along. So it is better for them to acquire a means of income enough for them to get along. Yet those hearts who are not content with as much property as to get along but who run after more and who think of their luxury, comfort and pleasure are not among those hearts who are attached to Islam. We will not take them into consideration.

3 - Tawakkul in avoiding danger:

Also, among the means to protect oneself against danger, it is not one of the principles of tawakkul to give up those means whose effect is certain or most probable. It does not spoil tawakkul to close and lock the door of the house lest a thief will go in. Nor does it not harm one's tawakkul to carry arms in dangerous places or to avoid one's enemies. It does not spoil tawakkul, either, to wear thick clothes lest one should get cold. But it spoils tawakkul to be too meticulous by having recourse to such means as eating much so that the body will be heated by getting more calories and one will not be cold in winter. So is the case with cauterizing [a healthy person lest he will get sick] and incantation. [A doctor is permitted to cauterize a sick person.] To have tawakkul, it is not necessary to give up those means that have positive effects and which are known by everybody. One day a villager came to Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', who stated to him, **"What did you do with your camel?"** When the man answered, "I left it by itself and had tawakkul in Allâhu ta'âlâ," **"Tie it and then have tawakkul!"** he stated.

It is tawakkul and is good not to prevent an injury caused by a person and to endure it patiently. As a matter of fact, it is purported in the sûra **of Ahzâb, "Do not respond to the injury and torments of disbelievers and munâfiqs! I shall punish them. For protection against them and to rescue yourself from them, trust yourself to Allâhu ta'âlâ!"** And it is purported in the sûra of **Ibrâhîm, "We patiently endure their tortures. Those who have tawakkul should have tawakkul only in Allâhu ta'âlâ."**

It is necessary to prevent such animals as scorpions, snakes and wild animals from doing harm. It does not spoil tawakkul. [We should not be patient with the germs that spread disease, and we should do our best to prevent them. In case we catch an infectious disease, we should use antiseptics and antibiotics (penicillin and the like).]

If a person who carries a weapon in order to protect himself against the enemy does not depend on his strength or weapon, he will have had tawakkul. We should lock the door. But we should not rely on the lock. As a matter of fact thieves have broken many a lock. The symptom of a person's having tawakkul is that when he comes home and sees that his possessions have been stolen he does not feel sorry. Saying that Allâhu ta'âlâ has willed it be so, he becomes contented with destiny. When putting the lock on the door we should pass through our heart the prayer, "O my Allah! I put this lock not to change Thine destiny but to follow Thine command and law. O my Allah! If Thou shouldst make someone attack my property, I am contented with Thine decree! I do not know if Thou created this property for me, or for someone else and gave it to me as a deposit." If a person locks his door and goes away and then, upon seeing that his possessions have been stolen when he comes back, feels sorry, he should realize that he does not have tawakkul. But if he does not cry, wail or cause alarm or confusion, he at least gets the grade of patience. If he complains and investigates the thief, he falls down from the grade of patience, too. If he, finding out that he does not have tawakkul and is not patient, gives up having a high opinion of himself, this is his benefit and advantage casued by the thief.

**Question:** If he did not need his possessions he would not hide them by locking the door. Can a person help becoming sorry when something is stolen which he has been keeping in order to satisfy his needs?

**Answer:** When Allâhu ta'âlâ gives these possessions to him he should deem their coming to him beneficial for himself. "There are benefits in everything given by Allâhu ta'âlâ," he should say. By the same token, he has to deem the loss of his possessions as beneficial for himself. "Allah's taking away something is as good as His giving it. As it is useful to have something when He gives it to me, so it is useful not to have it when He takes it back," he should say. We should be pleased with things that are beneficial. Men cannot know well which is good and useful for themselves. Allâhu ta'âlâ knows it better. For example, if a sick person's father is a specialized doctor, when he gives him meat and sweets to eat, he becomes pleased and says, "He would not give these to me if I had not recovered my health." If his father does not prescribe him diets containing meat and sweets, he becomes pleased again and says, "His keeping me away from these things is intended to cure my illness." Likewise, unless there is full faith in Allah's not giving as well as His giving, tawakkul will not be complete.

A person who has tawakkul should observe six adabs in protecting his property:

1) He should lock the door. But no more precautions should he try to take. He should not lock the rooms or the windows, nor should he make his neighbors take care of it. It does not spoil the tawakkul to hire guards and doorkeepers for offices. Mâlik bin Dînâr would fasten his door with a piece of string. "If I knew that beasts would not enter the house, I would not tie this either," he would say.

2) He should not keep valuable things, those things which will allure thieves in the house. He should not cause a Muslim brother of his to commit the sin of stealing. Once, Mughayra sent his zakât to Mâlik bin Dînâr, who took it and then sent it back, saying. "Satan brought anxiety into my heart that it might be stolen by thieves. I don't want to have anxiety or to cause a Muslim to steal." Upon hearing this, Abû Suleymân-i Dârânî said, "He returned the money because a sofi's heart is weak. He is zâhid; the world has no place in his heart. What harm would it give him if thieves stole it?" This statement of Abû Suleymân's shows that he has a keen insight.

3) When leaving home, he should have the intention, "If a thief steals any of my belongings, let it be his, may it be his lawful property! The thief may be poor and will meet one of his needs with that thing. If he is rich, he will become contented with that thing and will not steal others' possessions. Thus, my property will prevent the hurting of a Muslim brother of mine." By having this intention he will have pitied both the thief and all Muslims. Indeed Islam consists in pitying creatures. This intention does not change Allah's qadâ and qadar. But, whether his belongings are stolen or not, for each dollar he has, he will be given as much thawâb as if he gave seven hundred dollars as alms. This intention is like the case stated in the hadîth: **"If a person, during intercourse with his wife, does not retract, that is, if he does not prevent the formation of a child, he will be given as much thawâb as is given to a hero who fights until being martyred, whether the child is born or not."** For, the person has done his best. If the child were born dead, he would be given thawâb for what he did.

4) If his property is stolen, he should not feel sorry, but should know that the loss of his property is beneficial for him. If he says, "May it be halâl," he should not look for his property, nor should he take it back if they should give it back. But if he takes it back, it is his property. Intention does not cause it to cease to be his property. Only, it must not be taken back, so that tawakkul will be complete. Abdullah Ibni 'Umar's 'radiyallâhu anhumâ' camel was stolen. He looked for it far and near, but could not find it. He said, "May it be halâl for the person who took it away!" He went into a mosque and performed namâz. Someone came and said, "Your camel is at such and such a place." He put on his clogs and left for the place, but then gave up and said, "I have said, 'May it be halâl!' I won't take it back." One of the great dreamt of his brother, who was sorry although he was in Paradise. When he asked him why he was sorry, he answered: "I will remain sorry until the Resurrection. For, they showed me my high-ranking post in Paradise. No other grade was so beautiful as it was. I wanted to go there, but I heard a voice saying: 'Don't let him go there! The place is for those who have given up for Allah's sake.' I asked how to give up for Allah's sake. They said, 'One day you said, 'May this property of mine be halâl for Allah's sake!' But then you did not abide by your word. If you had kept your promise well, the entire place would be yours now.' " Someone slept in the blessed city of Mekka. When he woke up he did not see his purse. One of the great was there, to whom he said, "You took my money!" Then the great person took the owner of the money to his house and asked him how much money he had and gave him as much gold as was equal to the value of the money which the man claimed to have owned. After going out, the man found out that a friend of his had taken away his purse only as a joke. So he went back to return the gold, yet the owner refused to take them back: "I gave you this gold with the intention of alms," he said and added that they be distributed to the poor. Likewise, of old, when they, for example, took bread to a poor man and did not find him in his place, they would not take the bread back home but give it to another poor person.

5) He should not curse a cruel person or a thief. When he curses them he spoils both his tawakkul and his zuhd. For, a person who becomes sorry when he loses something cannot be zâhid. Once Rabî bin Haysam's horse was stolen, and it was worth several thousand dirhams. "I saw it being stolen," he said. When he was asked, "Why did you keep silent though you saw it," he said, "I was together with Someone whom I love much more than it. I couldn't part from Him." It was found out afterwards that he had been in namâz. They cursed the thief. "Don't curse him. I have made my horse halâl for him," he said. One of the great was oppressed by a cruel man. When he was told to curse him, "He is doing enmity not to me but to himself. The harm which he causes to himself is enough for him. I cannot add any more harm," he said. A hadîth states, **"A person curses someone who torments him, and thus he takes his right back in the world. Maybe he even trespasses upon the cruel one's right, too."**

6) He should pity the thief and have compassion for him instead of he himself committing a sin and torturing himself. He should thank Allah that he himself is not the cruel one but is the one who is oppressed. He should be pleased because he has suffered a loss of property and not a loss of faith. If he does not feel sorry because a Muslim brother of his has committed a sin, he will have not advised and pitied Muslims. Once, something was stolen from Bishr-i Hafî; he began to weep. When he was told, "Does one simply weep for property?" he said, "I am weeping not for property but out of the thought that the thief has committed a sin and will be tormented for this in the next world."

4 - A sick person's tawakkul in curing himself and using medicine:

There are three kinds of medicine. The effect and use of those medicines of the first kind are for certain, obvious, as in bread's allaying hunger and water's quenching thirst. [So is the case with the effect of quinine compounds for fevers, of the salicylates for rheumatism, and of the vaccinations, serums and antibiotics and sulfonamides for bacteria. Inoculation for smallpox was discovered in 1197 [1782 A.D.]. Ibni Âbidîn 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh' says on the 215th page of the fifth volume, "It is fard to eat and drink as much as the amount needed to perform salât standing and not to die of hunger. It is a grave sin not to eat as much as that limit. If a person does not take medicine (although he is ill) and then dies, he will not be sinful (for not taking medicine). For medicine will not certainly work a cure." This comes to mean that it is fard to take medicine with a definite curing effect. It is written in the 182nd letter by Muhammad Ma'thûm Farûqî 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh', and also in detail in the 343rd page of the book **Hadîqa** that it is wajib to hold to means with a definite effect, and it is sinful to expose oneself to sheer harm by not using them.] And so is the case with extinguishing a fire with water. It is not tawakkul but it is idiocy and harâm not to use these medicines and the like, the effect of which is for certain.

The effect of medicines of the second kind is not for certain, nor predictable. Only, they may be useful. Examples of these are incantation, that is, using substances that have not been experimented scientifically and meaningless pieces of writing that are not from the Qur'ân, cautery and using things that are supposed to be useful. Having tawakkul requires not using these. As it is stated in a hadîth, using them is a sign of too much trust in causes. Of these three, the one with the most probable use is cauterizing [a healthy person]. [There is detailed information about fortune-telling at the end of the booklet **Bey' wa Shirâ**.].

Medicines of the third kind are between the first and the second kinds. Their use is not for certain, but strongly predictable. Examples of these are bleeding, cupping, taking purgatives, and using medicines [which are selling in the hundreds today], effects of which are doubtful. It is not harâm not to use them. But, it is not one of the conditions of tawakkul, either. For many people it is better to use them. Yet sometimes it is better not to use them. We have said that having tawakkul does not require giving up these things. For, our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"O you who are Allah's slaves! Use medicine!"** And he declared at some other time, **"Each disease has its medicine. Death, only, is an end with no way out."** When he was asked if medicine would change qadâ and qadar, he stated, **"Qadâ and qadar will make you use medicine."** Another hadîth states, **"I heard from all angels: 'Tell your Ummat that they should apply cupping, that is, bleeding,' they said."** Another hadîth states, **"Apply cupping on the seventeenth, nineteenth and twenty-first days of Arabic month; otherwise, if blood increases** [blood tension goes up], **it may cause death."** Another hadîth states, **"One of the diseases which Allâhu ta'âlâ has made a cause of death is the increase of blood."** Bleeding or using tension-reducing medicines when blood tension goes up, using antibiotics, sulfonamides or other antiseptics against infectious diseases, or applying disinfection is no different from killing the scorpion or the snake in one's clothes or bed or extinguishing a fire. For, these are all causes of death for man. Having tawakkul does not require giving these up. Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' commanded Sa'd bin Mu'âz 'radiyallâhu anh' to be cupped, that is, to draw blood from his vein. When Hadrat Alî's blessed eye ached, he told him not to eat fresh dates and to eat beet leaves, yoghurt and cooked barley. Suhayb-i Rûmî's 'radiyallâhu anh' eye was aching. When Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' saw him eating dates he declared, **"You eat dates though your eye is aching."** "I am chewing it on the side of the eye which does not ache," he answered, which made Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' laugh. Rasûlullah would put kohl on his eyes every night. He would apply cupping every month. He would drink medicine every year. Whenever the wahy came upon him his blessed head would ache. So he would apply henna on his blessed head. When any of his limbs was wounded he would put henna on the wound. If he did not find anything else he would put the dust of clean soil on it. He used many other medicines, which are written in the books titled **Tibbinnabî.** [One of those books was written by Imâm-i Jalâladdîn-i Suyûtî. This is explained in detail in the second volume of **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya**.]

Once Hadrat Mûsâ 'alaihissalâm' became ill. They told him its medicine. "I don't want medicine. Allâhu ta'âlâ will cure it," he said. The illness lingered, getting even worse. "The medicine of this illness is well-known and has been tried. You will recover soon," they said, but he replied, "No. I don't want medicine," and his illness became even worse. Then the wahy came down to him, declaring: **"If you do not take medicine,** **I shall not bless you with healing."** Upon this he took the medicine and recovered health, but something occured to his heart. Then the wahy came in which Allâhu ta'âlâ declared: **"In order to have tawakkul you want to change My hikmat, My law. Who gave useful effects to medicines? Of course, I created them."**

A prophet 'alaihimussalâm' complained about weakness. The wahy came down to him and he was commanded, **"Eat meat and drink milk!"** Believers of an ancient time complained to their prophet that their children were born ugly. The wahy came down and the prophet was commanded, **"Tell your ummat: 'Those women who are to bear children should eat quinces!' "** So they ate quinces during pregnancy and dates after birth.

As it is understood from all these examples, Allâhu ta'âlâ has made medicines means for healing. As He has made bread and water means for feeding, so He has made medicines means for removing illnesses. Allâhu ta'âlâ alone creates all means and gives them effective power. A hadîth states, **"Hadrat Mûsâ 'alaihissalâm' asked, 'O my Allah! Who makes diseases, and who cures diseases?' Allâhu ta'âlâ declared, 'I make both of them.' When he asked, 'Why should we need doctors, then?' 'They know the means which I created for healing and give them to My slaves. And I give them sustenance and thawâb through this way,'** **was Allah's declaration."**

As it is seen, we should go to doctors and use medicines. Yet we should not depend on doctors or medicines and we should ask for healing from Allâhu ta'âlâ. Those who did not recover health though they took medicine and those who exhaled their last breath on operating tables are not few.

**NOTE:** Cautery has become a custom in some places. But cautery spoils tawakkul. In fact, it has been prohibited by the Sharî'at. For, it may cause dangerous wounds. And its use is not certain. The benefit of cautery can be provided through other medicines as well. Imrân bin Hasîn 'radiyallâhu anh' became ill. They told him to cauterize. But he would not. They begged him to do so, so he cauterized and then recovered health. Afterwards he said, "Before, I used to see nûrs, hear voices. Angels used to greet me. After cautery none of these has happened." He repented and said istighfâr so many times that later Allâhu ta'âlâ, as he said to Mutrif bin Abdullah, granted these blessings to him again.

Sometimes it is better not to use medicine, which does not mean to disobey our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. Most of our superiors did not use medicine.

**Question:** If it were perfection not to use medicine, our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' would not have used it, which he did.

**Answer:** There are six reasons for not using medicine:

1) A person may have a vigilant heart and may be an owner of kashf. He may realize that he is about to die. So he does not use medicine. As a matter of fact, doctors do not prescribe medicine or diet for a person whom they see will die soon. When the Khalîfa of Muslims, Abû Bakr 'radiyallâhu anh', became ill, they said, "Let's fetch a doctor." But he said, "The Doctor saw me and said 'I will do as I will.' "

2) The ill person may be in fear of the next world. He does not think of or ask for medicine. Abu Dardâ 'radiyallâhu anh' moaned when he became sick. They asked him what was the matter with him. "I moan with the thought of my sins," he said. They said, "Do you want anything!" "I want Allah's compassion," he said. They said, "Shall we call a doctor?" "The Doctor made me sick," he said. Abû Zar-i Ghifârî 'radiyallâhu anh' had an eye sore. When he was asked if he would not like to use medicine, "I have something more important to do now," he said. Their state is like that of a person who, while being taken towards the gallows, is asked if he wants something to eat; I wonder if he would ever remember eating though he may be hungry? When Sahl bin Abdullah-i Tusturî was asked what his food was, he said, "Dhikr of the One who is Hayy and Qayyûm." Upon this they asked, "We ask you where you get your strength from," to which he replied, "From knowledge." They asked, "What is your food?" "Contemplation and dhikr," he said. Then they said that they were asking about the substance of nourishment that fed the body. This time he answered, "Not to think of the body but to think of the One who sends the food."

3) He may catch a chronic disease of which the causes are not known; the sick person, in this case, does not want to use the medicines with a placebo effect. Those who have no medical knowledge think that many medicines are so.

4) Craving for thawâb only, some do not want to recover health lest they would be deprived of the thawâb. Being patient, they do not use medicine. A hadîth states, **"As they examine the doubtful gold by means of fire, so Allâhu ta'âlâ tests people by means of anxiety and hardships. Some go out of the fire of hardships as true. Others go out as false."** Sahl bin Abdullah Tusturî would give medicine to the sick, but he himself would not use it. "The namâz which is performed sitting and enduring the sickness patiently is more valuable than the namâz performed standing by a healthy person," he would say.

5) His sins may be many. He wants to have his sins pardoned by suffering illness. A hadîth states, **"Malaria purifies you of all your sins. As there is no dust on a hail-stone, so there will be no sins left on a malarial person."** Îsâ 'alaihissalâm' stated, "A person who becomes sick or gets into trouble and yet is not happy because his sins will be pardoned is not learned." When Mûsâ 'alaihissalâm' saw a sick man and prayed, "O my Allah! Have mercy upon that slave of Yours?" Allâhu ta'âlâ declared: **"How else should I have mercy upon a slave of Mine who is by now with the means which I sent to him so that he would attain My compassion. For, I shall forgive his sins by means of this illness. Through this I shall promote his rank in Paradise."**

6) Apprehending that continuous health may cause one to forget Allâhu ta'âlâ, to disobey Him, and to commit harâm, he may prefer to remain ill. Through hardships and illnesses Allâhu ta'âlâ wakes those slaves of His whom He pities from unawareness. As a matter of fact, a hadîth states, **"One of the following three things exists in Believers: qillat** (poverty), **illat** (illness), **zillat** (lack of esteem)." Another hadîth states, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ declared: 'Illness is My lasso, trap, and poverty is My dungeon. I put those whom I love into these.' "** Health causes sinning. Real health exists in illness. Alî 'radiyallâhu anh' saw a crowd of people making merry and asked what it was for. When they said that it was their day of merry he said, "And our days of merry are those on which we don't sin." One of the great asked a person he ran into how he was. When the man said that he was quite well, he said, "The day on which you are quite well is when you don't sin. There is not a disease more dangerous than sinning." The reason why Pharaoh wanted everybody to worship him was because he lived for four hundred years, during which he never had a headache or fever. If his head had ached only once, he would not have even thought of that impudence. If a person becomes sick and does not beg Allah for forgiveness Azrâîl 'alaihissalâm' says to him, "O you unwary! I have sent you messengers so many times. But you won't pull yourself together." Our superiors say that within forty days a Believer should have some trouble, some illness or some fear, or some damage should come upon his property. Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' was about to marry a woman with nikâh, when they said to him praisingly that the woman had never become ill. Then he gave up marrying her. One day he 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' was talking about a headache, a villager said, "How is a headache? I have never had a headache." Upon this he stated, **"Keep away from me! Anyone who wants to see a man for Hell must look at him."** When 'Âisha 'radiyallâhu anhâ' asked him if anyone could reach the grade of martyrdom, he stated, **"A person who remembers death twenty times each day attains to the grade of martyrs."** No doubt, the ill remember death very often. It is for these six reasons that some never used medicine.

Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' used medicine because he did not need these reasons.

It is written as follows in **Durr-ul-Mukhtâr** and also in the section about kinds of water in **Radd-ul-Muhtâr,** which explains the former:

"It is permissible to use something harâm as a healer, provided it will be known that it will cure the ill person and when no halâl medicine is available. A hadîth in **Bukhârî states, 'Allâhu ta'âlâ has not created healing for you in things that are harâm.** ' Its meaning is: 'Substances that are harâm but which are, as it has been experimented, good for healing, are halâl for medicine.' As a matter of fact, it is halâl for a person who is about to die of thirst to drink as much wine as to save him from death. The existence of a curing effect in something harâm will be understood only if a specialized Muslim doctor says so. Only, pork and its fat cannot be used as medicine even if they are curatives." In the eighth chapter of his annotation to **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya,** Muhammad Zarkânî 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh' says, "It is stated in a hadîth-i sherîf, 'Receive medical treatment.' According to this hadîth-i sherîf, treatment is fard when it is indispensable against death or when it will prevent one from omitting an action which is fard or when it is done for curing a cardiac. The treatment for other diseases is sunna."

It is written in **Tatârhâniyya,** "When there is no other remedy, it is permissible to have a surgical operation in order to save oneself from death."

In conclusion, we say that avoiding the causes of illness is not an obstacle against tawakkul. The Khalîfa 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' was on his way to Damascus, when he heard that there was a plague in Damascus. Some of those who were with him suggested that they should not enter Damascus. Others protested that they should not run away from Allah's destiny. Upon this the Khalîfa said, "Let us run away from Allah's destiny to the destiny which is His, too. Let us not enter the city. Suppose someone among you has a pasture and a bare rocky area. To whichever he drives his flock, he will have done it with Allah's decrees." Then he summoned Abdurrahmân bin Awf 'radiyallâhu anh' and asked, "What is your opinion?" He said, "I heard Rasûlullah state, **'Do not enter a place where there is plague, and never flee from a plagued place or move to some other place!"** Upon this, the Khalîfa saying, "Alhamdulillah, my statement concurs with the hadîth," they did not enter Damascus. The reason why it is prohibited to leave a place where there is plague is because when the healthy ones leave the place there will be none left to look after the sick, and thus they will die. Moreover, at a place of plague the dirty air [which is full of microbes, bacilli, of plague] infects everybody, so those who escape will not escape the disease [but they will take the discease with themselves and will infect others with it]. A hadîth states, **"Fleeing from a place where there is the disease of a plague is a grave sin, like running away from the enemy in a combat."** [Muhyiddin-i Arabî 'quddisa sirruh' says in his book **Futûhât-ul-makkiyya** , in the chapter about 'qadâ and balâ,' "Avoid disasters and dangers as well as you can. For, it is a habit of prophets to keep away from things that are unbearable and unendurable."]

It is written at the end of the fifth volume of **Radd-ul-muhtâr** and in the book of fatwâ titled **Bezzâziyya** , "If an earthquake breaks out when you are at a closed place, it is mustahab to run away from there to an open place."

**NOTE:** Having tawakkul requires that you will not tell people around you about your illness. It is makrûh to tell others or to complain about it. But it is not makrûh and does not spoil tawakkul to tell those who will be useful [like telling a doctor] or to tell in order to show how incapable, poor you are. As a matter of fact, when Alî 'radiyallâhu anh' became sick he was asked how he was. "Not well," was his answer, which made others look at one another with surprise. "I am showing my incapability to Allâhu ta'âlâ," he added. This statement was worthy of his state. He knew his incapability, despite his bravery, strength and courage, and would say, "O my Allah! Bless me with patience!"

Our Prophet 'sallallâhu aleyhi wa sallam' stated, **"Ask for health from Allâhu ta'âlâ. Don't ask for trouble!"** It is harâm to complain about one's illness by telling everybody about it! It is not harâm if one does not do it in order to complain. But it is better not to mention it. For, otherwise it may turn into a complaint because one mentions it often.

Hadrat Muhammad Bâqîbillah, a murshid-i kâmil and one of the great members of Tarîqat-i aliyya-i Naqshibandiyya, says, "It is not tawakkul not to hold fast to causes, nor is it to sit lazily. For, being so is impertinence against Allâhu ta'âlâ. A Muslim should hold fast to causes that are lawful [in Islam]. After holding to causes and beginning to work, he places his tawakkul. In other words, something which is wanted will not be expected from the thing which acts as a cause for its happening. For, Allâhu ta'âlâ has created the cause as a gateway through which to get to the thing wanted. To expect something to come to you directly without any causes in between instead of doing what will serve as its cause is like closing the gate and expecting it to be thrown in through the window, which is impertinence. In order that we might get what we need, Allâhu ta'âlâ has created the gate and left it open. It is not right to close it. Our duty is to go to the gate and wait. The rest is up to Him. He often sends it through the gate. And He gives it by throwing it out through the window whenever He wishes." This word of Hadrat Bâqîbillah's is written in the book titled **Barakât.** As it is seen, it is not permissible to sit idly and then say that you are having tawakkul. Great men of tasawwuf said that one should first begin working and holding to causes and then have tawakkul.

In his 13th letter, Mazhar-i Jân-i Jânan 'quddisa sirruh', one of the great scholars in India, says that even though our scholars wrote so often about the matter of optional and obligatory actions, some doubts come to the human mind automatically. This is because of the fact that the human mind is not able to comprehend some religious knowledge. If it were able to comprehend, there would be no need or necessity to make revelations to prophets so that men's deeds could be good and useful. Claiming that man has full will, that is, saying that man can do whatever he wants, or vice versa, i.e., claiming that man has nothing so he only has to do the thing in destiny (qadâ and qader), means denying the Book and the Sunna. For, men's deeds, corpses, that is, their material beings, actions, and movements are all created by Allâhu ta'âlâ, too. So, is it possible to claim existence of full will in man? It will be injustice to call someone to account for something he did involuntarily. Allâhu ta'âlâ never acts unjustly. So, how can it be a true word to claim that man has to do by compulsion? It is obvious that men's actions are not done involuntarily like tremulous motions. These actions are done using our knowledge, our will and our power. Men's optional actions come out through these three things. However, men cannot have these three things by willing them. They are sent to them by Allâhu ta'âlâ when He wills. It is only to this extent that the compulsion of man may be said to be the case. Since men do not have full will and since they are not fully compelled, either, their actions come into existence between these two extremes. This effectuation of actions is called kesb (acquisition). The existence of such a paltry amount of option in man's acquisitive actions has caused Allâhu ta'âlâ's injunctions [commands and prohibitions]. And since our option is weak, the injunctions have been moderate. Allâhu ta'âlâ's attribute of Rahmat (Compassion) for Believers has surpassed His attribute of Ghadâb (Wrath) against the disobedient ones among them. None of His other attributes has surpassed any of the others. On the other hand, since Allâhu ta'âlâ's deeds happen by His knowledge, will and power, they are dissimilar to the slaves' (men's) deeds. Therefore, His calling men to account on account of these deeds of theirs cannot be said to be incompatible with justice.

36 - LAWH-IL-MAHFÛZ AND UMM-UL-KİTÂB

The booklet titled Lawh-il-Mahfûz wa Umm-ul-kitâb by Allâma Ahmad bin Sulaymân bin Kamâl Pasha, the booklet titled Ihtiyâr-i juz'î by Muhammad Akkarmânî and the booklet titled Qadâ-Qadar by Abussu'ûd Efendi were gathered together and were published in one single book in Turkish in Istanbul in hijri 1264, during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdulmajîd Khân. We have deemed it suitable to simplify all three and write them.

The âyat, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ erases what He wishes. And He does not change what He does not wish to. Umm-ul-kitâb is kept by Him,"** which is in Ra'd Sûra, denotes Lawh-il-mahfûz. Umm-il-kitâb is the name of the Kalâm-i ilâhî (Divine Word), which is eternal. Angels cannot understand it. It is not with time. In other words, time is not recorded in it. No one but Allâhu ta'âlâ knows it. It never ceases to exist. As for the Lawh-il-mahfûz, there are changes in it. Angels see it. A person's lifetime and sustenance may be changed on account of his deeds. The good may be changed into evil and the evil into good. Accordingly, He may make a person perform good deeds towards his death, thus sending him as a Believer to the next world. And He may make some other person commit an evil deed, and, thus, He may send him without îmân. For this reason, Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' would often say the Arabic prayer, **"Allâhumma, yâ muqallibal-qulûb, thabbit qalbî 'alâ dînik"** [O Allah! Thou alone canst change our hearts from good to evil, from evil to good. Make my heart fixed in Thine dîn, do not ever let it turn away from or abandon it!]. Upon hearing this, the Sahâba 'alaihimurridwân' said, "O Rasûlallah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'! You, too, are afraid of turning renegade?" **"Who on earth could ensure me from makr-i ilâhi?"** was his answer. [Makr means trick. Lexically, makr-i ilâhî means divine trick.] For, a hadîth-i qudsî states, **"Men's hearts are in the power of Rahmân. He changes hearts as He wishes."** That is, He changes them to evil or to good with His Attributes of Jalâl and Jamâl. The first thing written in Lawh-ul-mahfûz was: **"There is no Allah besides Me. Hadrat Muhammad** 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' **is My Messenger and My beloved one, and all are My creatures. I am the Rabb, the Creator of everything."** Then prophets and all the people that will come to the world until Doomsday were registered, the good ones as sa'îd and the evil ones as shaqî.

Qadar does not change. Qadâ happens compatibly with qadar. Qadâ changes a number of times every day and is created when it is suitable with qadar at last. Something which was recorded to be created as qadâ-i mu'allaq is changed on account of the slave's good deeds and is not created. The Awliyâ have compared qadar to a granary and qadâ to a scale.

[The (celebrated grand dictionary titled) **Qâmûs** writes in the entry 'qadâ': "Qadâ is a special section of qadar. Qadar is like the wheat stocked in a granary. And qadâ is like giving it in measured amounts. Hadrat 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' came to Damascus. But when he heard that there was plague in the city, he did not enter the city. When he was asked, 'Are you running away from Allah's qadâ?' he said, 'I am running from Allah's qadâ to His qadar. For qadar may change unless it turns into qadâ." Qadar is like a salary list (payroll). And qadâ is like the distribution of the salary. Ibni Asîr said, "Qadâ and qadar do not part from each other; for qadar is like the foundation of a building and qadâ is like the building itself." It is written in the entry 'qadar': "Qadar is Allah's knowing in the eternal past all that will happen. Qadâ is His creating the things in qadar when the time comes."]

Imâm-i Ghazâlî says in his book **Ihyâ-ul-'ulûm** , "Qadâ-i mu'allaq is recorded in Lawh-il-mahfûz. If a person performs good deeds and his prayers are accepted the qadâ will change." A hadîth-i-sherîf states, **"Qadar does not change by taking precautions or avoiding. But a prayer that is accepted protects one against an approaching catastrophe."** The prayer's repelling the catastrophe is also within qadâ and qadar. As a shield is a rampart against arrows, and as water causes grass to grow on earth, [and as the air's oxygen gas causes heat by burning the food substances in the cells of the living], so prayers cause Allah's compassion. A hadîth-i-sherîf states, **"Nothing can change the qadâ-i mu'allaq. But prayers only can change it; and favours, goodness only can lengthen one's lifetime."** The recording of Allah's predestination, that is, qadar, in Lawh-il-mahfûz is qadâ. If the disaster predestined for a person is qadâ-i mu'allaq, that is, if it has been predestined also that the person would pray, he prays and, when the prayer is accepted, it prevents the disaster. Doing favours delays the **ajal-i qadâ.** But the ajal-i musammâ does not change. The ajal-i qadâ is a person's lifetime which, for example, was predestined as sixty years if he performs some good deeds or gives alms or performs hajj (pilgrimage) and forty years if he does not do these. When the time is up, his death is not delayed even for one moment. While a person has, for example, three days left to live, thirty years may be added to his lifetime when he visits one of his relatives for Allah's sake. Another person may have, for example, thirty years more to live, but the rest of his lifetime may be reduced to three days because he neglects his relatives. It is written in the book **Lubâb-ut-ta'wîl** [alias **Tafsîr-i Hâzîn** ], that predestination was recorded in the Lawh-il-mahfûz in the eternal past. Nothing is recorded afterwards. In other words, the changes that would happen in Lawh-il-mahfûz, the lengthening or shortening of lifetimes, were recorded in eternity; this case is called qadâ-i mu'allaq. The changes in Lawh-il-mahfûz take place suitably with Allah's qadar, that is, His knowledge in eternity. When 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' was wounded Qa'bul-akhbâr said, "If 'Umar 'radiyallâhu anh' wanted to live more he would pray, for his prayer would certainly be accepted." Those who heard this were surprised and said, "How dare you say so? Allâhu ta'âlâ declares, **'Death is never late, nor does it come before time is up.' "** Upon this he said, "Yes, death is not delayed when the time is up. But before the time is up, one's lifetime is lengthened owing to one's alms, prayers or pious deeds. For the sûra of Fâtir purports, **'Lifetimes of all and the shortening of lifetimes are all recorded.' "**

Every year [on the Barât night, which is the fifteenth night of the month of Sha'bân], the happenings of the coming year, deeds, lifetimes, causes of death, promotions and demotions, and everything, are recorded in the Lawh-il-mahfûz.

Two people came to Dâwûd 'alaihissalâm' and complained about each other. He listened to them, settled the matter and they went off; Hadrat Azrâil (Angel of Death) came to him and said, "One of these two people has one week before his death. The other's lifetime was over a week ago, but he did not die." When Hadrat Dâwûd was astonished and asked the reason why, Hadrat Azrâil said, "The latter had a relative who was offended with him. He visited him and reconciled himself with him. For this reason Allâhu ta'âlâ decreed to add twenty years to his life-time." [It is written in the sixty-second couplet of **Qasîda-i-Amâlî:** "The lifetime of a person killed is not cut." In other words, his life has not been cut in the middle at that moment. Ahmad Âsim Bey, translator of **Qâmûs,** explains the couplet as follows: "According to the Ahl as-sunnat, the time of death of a person killed is the moment when he is killed. His lifetime has not been cut in the middle. Each person has one time of death."] As it is seen, it is strongly necessary to visit your relatives if they are Muslims and obey the Sharî'at. You should visit them at least once a week or month, not more rarely than every forty days. If he lives far away, you should please their hearts with letters. You should not neglect this though you may be offended with them or cross with them. Even if your relatives do not visit you or answer your letters, you should not give up visiting them in person or by sending presents, regards or letters. Allâhu ta'âlâ commands visiting the relative who is Muslim and pious. The command will have been carried out by doing as we say now. It is written in the books **Al-Barîqa** and **Al-Hadîqa** , "It is a grave sin to break off relations with relatives. It is wâjib to visit a relative who is zî rahm-i mahram, whether it is a man or a woman. It is not wâjib to visit a relative who is zî rahm, but nâ-mahram, e.g. the daughter of one's uncle, or a relative who is not zî rahm. But it is mustahab to send them presents or regards." Also, we should pity orphans and should not hurt them. A person who fondles an orphan on the head will be given the thawâb of hajj. If Allâhu ta'âlâ loves a slave of His, He makes him do pious deeds that are good for the Hereafter. If a person is not blessed with Allah's hidâyat he does not come round to the right course even if he reads hundreds of books or listens to lots of sermons. In other words, to advise a person who is not prone to being trained is like teaching tajwîd to an ox. [Tajwîd is the branch of knowledge teaching how to read the Qur'ân correctly.]

[Also, it depends on the predestination to find a doctor or to find medicine. Allâhu ta'âlâ creates causes suitably with His predestination, decree. As has been known for a very long time, if a person has not completed his lifetime, when one of his limbs is cut his vein will be bound, or he will be given medicine, and will not die. If his lifetime is completed, there will be no one to bind the vein, he will lose blood, the blood will be infected, and he will die. Also, it depends on whether the time for death has come or not if the healthy heart of a person who is about to die will or will not be transplanted on a severely ill person whose heart muscles do not function. Heart transplantation does not certainly cure the ill person. It has caused death to many people.

On the Rising Day everybody will be resurrected from his grave with the same figure, stature and sizes of limbs as he had when he died. Each person's coccyx will not change but his other limbs will be recreated on this bone, the souls will find these new bodies and enter them. The souls' entering these new bodies is not metempsychosis. Metempsychosis is a concept pertaining to this world. There cannot be metempyshosis in the next world. Man's body, limbs change in the world, too. The flesh, the fat, the skin, the bones of a forty year old person are different from those which he had when he was a child. But he is the same person. For, man means soul. The body changes, but the soul does not. A person's finger-prints never change. No person's finger-prints are like another's. The shape of the lines on a person's finger-tips form before he is born, while his soul enters his body. They never change until the person dies and his body decays. It has been observed that they have remained the same on five-thousand year old mummies. Each of the lines on the finger-tips is made up of holes arranged side by side. Each tiny hole leaks sweat. When a person holds something, the sweat that leaks out sticks to it and remains there in the shape of the lines. When some chemical that can color the sweat is put on that thing the person's finger-prints are seen on it. In the eightieth page of the Persian book **Kimyâ-yi Se'âdet,** Imâm-i Muhammad Ghazâlî, a great scholar, says, "As the bodies which a person has at various ages are different from one another, so he will be resurrected from the grave with a body which has the same shape and stature but which is made up of different motes. When this writing of ours is understood well, there will no longer be need for questions such as: if a man eats another man, on which man will the eaten limb be recreated, on the man eaten, or on the one who ate him? For, not the limbs themselves but their copies will be created."]

37 - IRÂDA-I JUZ'IYYA

**The booklet Irâda-i juz'iyya was written by Muhammad Akkarmânî** 'rahmatullâhi aleyh':

From the âyat, **"You wish only what Allâhu ta'âlâ wishes!"** which is in **Dahr Sûra,** Imâm Abul-Hasan-i Ash'arî inferred the meaning, "Unless Allâhu ta'âlâ decrees that you wish you cannot wish anything!" That is, he meant that unless Allâhu ta'âlâ wills, the slave (man) cannot use his irâda-i juz'iyya. So, according to the Ash'arî Madhhab, slaves (men) are compelled in using their irâda-i juz'iyya (partial will). For, when Allâhu ta'âlâ wishes that a person will do some action, the person has to do the action. Accordingly, the irâda-i juz'iyya exists and is a creature. Then, if Satan says to man, "O you slave! Why are you taking pains? Unless Allâhu ta'âlâ decrees an action of yours, you cannot wish the action!" man will not be able to answer Satan. Man will not be free in his actions. There will not be rewards for his worships or torment for his evil. The slave will wish what Allâhu ta'âlâ wishes and is merely a means for the accomplishment of the action.

Abû Mansûr-i Mâ'turîdî explained what Imâm-ı a'zam Abû Hanîfa had inferred and said, "Irâda-i juz'iyya is not a being. Something which does not exist is not something created. Irâda-i juz'iyya is a state in the slaves. It is to use one's power in doing and not doing something. Slaves are free in using their irâda-i juz'iyya. They are not compelled. According to this Madhhab Satan can be answered: " **Irâda** (will) is a state in me. If I use it in goodness, Allâhu ta'âlâ creates goodness. If I spend it in evil, Allâhu ta'âlâ creates evil. If I don't use it either way, He creates neither of them." It is possible for Allâhu ta'âlâ to create without man's wish, too, yet He has made man's will a means for creating optional deeds. It is from Allah's will, again, that our irâda-i juz'iyya is a means. When man wishes to do something, Allâhu ta'âlâ creates it if He, too, wishes it. If man does not wish it, He does not create the action, which is optional. Then, if man uses his irâda-i-juz'iyya in worshipping, Allâhu ta'âlâ creates the worship. If he uses it for sins, He creates the sins. Then man becomes evil and will be tormented in the next world. Satan can say nothing to a person who knows that this is so.

Abû Mansûr-i Mâ-turîdî explains the meaning of the abovementioned âyat as follows: "Your optional actions do not happen with your will only. After your will, Allâhu ta'âlâ wills those actions and then creates them. As it is seen, the slaves are not independent in doing their actions.

Those who are in the way of Mu'tazila say that man creates all his actions himself. They make slaves partners with Allâhu ta'âlâ in creating actions. [In Iran, those people who name themselves Shiites believe in qadâ and qadar as the group of Mu'tazila do. So they separate from the way of Ahl as-sunna scholars. Deriving from valuable books, I have given long answers to their abominable slanders and explained the knowledge of qadâ and qadar in my Turkish books **Hak Yolun Vesîkaları** [] and **Eshâb-ı Kirâm.** The book **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya** gives detailed information about **Irâda-i juz'iyya** in its chapter which tells about the holy war of Badr. There is a pamphlet titled **Irâda-i-juz'iyya** by the great savant and Walîy-yi-kâmil Mawlânâ Khâlid-i Baghdâdî 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh' in the book **Eshâb-ı Kirâm**. The pamphlet Irâda-i juz'iyya was published in the ninth letter of the book **Bugyat-ul-wâjid** , by Muhammad Asad, the son of Mahmûd Sâhib, who was the brother of Mawlânâ 'rahmatullâhi alaihim'. The book was printed in Damascus in 1334 [1915 A.D.]. The annotations to the pamphlet and the names of the annotators are also reported in the book. In his book **Iqdul-jawharî,** Mawlânâ Khâlid-i Baghdâdî 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh' gives detailed information about man's option and his irada-i juz'iyya. An annotation to this book was written by Abdulhamîd Harpûtî and printed with the title **Simtul' aqbarî** in Istanbul in 1305 [1888 A.D.].

There are four factors in the realization of man's optional actions: 1) Imagining, remembering the action; 2) Opting the action; 3) Then using the irâda-i juz'iyya, that is, beginning the action; 4) The bringing about of the action. The first and the second are created by Allâhu ta'âlâ. For imagination and desire are creatures. Something which exists needs to be created. Irâda-i juz'iyya is from the slave. The action is created by Allâhu ta'âlâ. The happening of the slave's will also owes only to the creation of the imagination and desire first. For example, if a person imagines giving alms and its reward, desire or hatred forms in him. So he wills it or not. Desire does not mean will. Nor does hatred mean not to use one's will.

Allah's qadâ, His decree and His recording in Lawh-il-mahfûz are suitable with His eternal knowledge. And His knowledge is dependent upon the things He knows. That is, whenever and however everything would happen or would not happen in the future, He knew it so. He decrees and records what He knows. So there is no compulsion. If the future happenings were dependent upon His knowledge, compulsion would be necessary. If Allah's knowledge necessitated the creation of things and their attributes and states, there would be compulsion. But it is not the case. It is the other way round. Here we end our discourse with the help of Allâhu ta'âlâ.

The author of the annotation to the book **Durr-i yektâ** 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'aleyh' says, "All the actions that men do with their hearts and bodies and every event occurring in the living and in inert matter come into being with Allâhu ta'âlâ's knowing, decreeing, and creating them in the eternal past; this case is termed **qadar** or **taqdîr**. Man opts, wills to do or not to do something; that is, he uses his power. If Allâhu ta'âlâ, too, wills it

and uses His power, that thing comes into being. The former two are called **kasb** (acquiring), and the latter two are called **khalq** (creating). If Allâhu ta'âlâ likes that thing, it is termed **tâ'at**. Man will be given **thawâb** for tâ'at in the Hereafter. If man does an act of tâ'at with the intention of earning thawâb, this act becomes **qurbat**. If Allâhu ta'âlâ does not like that thing, it is termed **ma'siyyat.** Man will be subjected to îtâb (reproach) and îqab (punishment) for it in the Hereafter. A person who commits acts of makrûh or omits acts of sunnat-i-muakkada habitually without an 'udhr (a good, valid excuse) will be reproached (in the Hereafter). If a person omits an action of fard or commits a harâm and then dies without having made tawba and then does not attain shafâ'at (intercession) or forgiveness, he will be subjected to îqab; he will be exposed to fire. A person who denies the existence of option, will and power, that is kasb, in man, becomes a renegade.

38 - AN ELDERLY MUSLIM'S ADVICE TO HIS DAUGHTER AND HIS PRAYER

**1. What Does Felicity Mean?:** All the people in the world want to live happily and peacefully. But the ones who are happy are far less in number. Why is it so? In part it is because we do not really know what will make us happy. Secondly, we must learn the true meaning of the word felicity. Felicity does not consist of worldly happiness only. Quite to the contrary, real felicity means to achieve felicity in the Hereafter. How can felicity in the Hereafter be attained? In order to attain felicity in the Hereafter one must obey Allâhu ta'âlâ's laws and orders (i.e. obey the Qur'ân al-kerîm and the words of our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam'). Matters concerning the resurrection after death (or belief in the next world) are included within the orders of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Jenab-i Haqq (Allah) has informed us clearly that the next world's life is endless, everlasting, but life in this world consists of only a few finite days. Hence, felicity is two dimensional: one aspect addresses the attainment of happiness in the next world while the other addresses worldly happiness. Which should be ranked higher? Wise and intelligent men can easily distinguish. Our wisdom and understanding show us that the next-world's existence is infinitely superior to the life of this world. But despite this fact, it is obvious that generally men do not spend one-tenth of their worldly efforts for the sake of the next world. Can we possibly understand the pathetic and terrible consequences of this type of attitude? If we do not believe, then there is no hope of escape. In the next world, a disbeliever's place will be in the fiery confines of Hell, endlessly. If we believe, then our non-compliance with Allâhu ta'âlâ's rules will be judged as a kind of carelessness (a type of sleepiness) and corruption. Shame on those people who will still not wake up!

Many people exist who write books, make speeches and read carefully those books on the subject of worldly happiness. Regarding this topic, when we speak about the bliss of the next world we must consider first the book of Haqq (Qur'ân al-kerîm), the words of our holy Prophet (hadith-i sherîfs) and the thousands of books written by Islamic scholars. Unfortunately, there remain few people who read, talk about or listen to the writers and speakers of those books. The bliss of the next world, which has utmost importance, has already been forgotten, and we follow a path of ignorance as if the Hereafter were not the real issue. This attitude by itself represents a most terrifying disaster and a most catastrophic end. See, my beloved daughter, the real aim of my writing this is to protect you from this devastating tragedy. In other words, my aim is to protect you from the great fire called Hell. And your appreciation of my advice will be in accordance with your understanding and perception. May Allah, the Most High, join you with that group of people who well understand this reality and who act in accordance with their perceptions. Âmîn.

It is not true to think that it is unnecessary to give advice to children on this subject since it exists in books written by many religious scholars. It is incumbent upon any father who has his child's best interest at heart to inform it not only about this world's short-term happiness, but also about the next-world's endless bliss. Jenâb-i Haqq imposed this duty upon every father.

However careless a child may be, he will at least once read the writing of his father that was especially prepared for him, if for nothing more than the sake of curiosity. If he exerts the level of attention and thought needed to understand the writings of his father, he will rescue himself.

Nowadays, the books conveying religious knowledge and the teachers explaining this knowledge are not sufficient. This weakness is apparent in some schools and social circles in big cities, especially in metropolitan areas. Under such circumstances it becomes difficult for a child to develop a true and adequate religious understanding. For this reason, it became an important duty to write here the essentials and basis of Islam. The Essentials of the foundation of faith are: 1) To believe in Allâhu ta'âlâ; 2) To believe in angels; 3) To believe in the holy books; 4) To believe in the Prophets; 5) To believe in the next world; 6) To believe in fate (all deeds, good or evil, come from Allâhu ta'âlâ). The foundations of Islam are: 1) Kelimat-i Shahâdat; 2) Prayer; 3) Fasting; 4) Zakât; 5) Pilgrimage.

**2. This World and the Next World:** One day we will understand the truth and our life will come to an end. This is a terrifying fact. In light of this truth, what does life really mean? A person does not deserve to be a human who does not think about what death means. Therefore, the primary purpose of being human is to learn and know what life means, why we exist on the earth, and what exists beyond death. Could there be anyone who knows why we have been sent to this earth better than the master of life? Like all existence, our lives belong to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Jenâb-i Haqq states in the Qur'ân al-kerîm: "I created human beings only to make them aware of My Supremacy and to have them worship Me." Let's try to imagine what percentage of human beings today know this fact and practice it. We certainly know that most of them do not know this fact and the ones who know simply underestimate or ignore this reality. And this brings us to the starting point of ruination. It is the greatest catastrophe, disaster and misfortune (particularly for a Muslim) not to know this fact or not to act in accordance with it despite knowing and furthermore to know but not believe in it. This is so because Jenâb-i Haqq informs us by means of His Holy Book that He will certainly throw into the Hell-fire, eternally, those who don't believe in His commandments, and the ones who believe but don't practice will be sent to Hell as long as He wills. He, unlike human beings, does not lie. He will certainly punish the ones who don't consider His commandments important. His penalty is quite severe. It will be a great pity for the ones who don't protect themselves from His punishment. Could it be the business of a rational man to barter the endless life of the Hereafter for this short-termed worldly existence?

**3. What Islam Means:** Islam means material and moral cleanliness; it prescribes a clean body and a pure heart.

Islam is the only path that leads to happiness in this world and in the life after death. A true Muslim (the one who believes in Allâhu ta'âlâ's decree) always strives to live in this world peacefully. He believes that all rewards and punishments are from his Allâhu ta'âlâ. Everything is the prearrangement of Allâhu ta'âlâ. A Muslim believes that any thing that enters his life is from Allâhu ta'âlâ and is eventually good for him. He even accepts an apparent defeat or loss with the belief that in the end it is in his own best interest; hence, he does not undermine his inner sense of peace. He easily overcomes great hardships. He is a beloved man of Allâhu ta'âlâ. As such, in this world and in the world to come, this type of man will attain felicity.

Anyone who obeys the rules of Islam has in effect protected himself from every kind of danger and downfall in this world.

Islam and the religion of a Muslim are identical. Jenâb-i Haqq states in His Qur'ân al-kerîm: "The only religion respected by Allâhu ta'âlâ is Islam." Excluding Islam, the other religions are not regarded as religions. The New Testament in the hands of Christians and the Old Testament in the hands of Jews are holy books sent prior to the era of our Prophet. Qur'ân al-kerîm has abrogated and replaced both of these books.

Islam means morality. Jenâb-i Haqq said to our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam': "I created you to perfect morality."

In every word (hadîth) of our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' great lessons and supreme ethical virtues are embedded.

**4. Faith and Belief:** In order to be a Muslim it is essential for a man to believe (have faith) in the principles, rules and commandments of Islam. It is also necessary for the one who believes to appreciate and like these principles and rules. Belief (faith) is quite important. Belief is not possible with even a small degree of doubt. Anyone who has doubt should clear his doubt by asking the appropriate questions to religious scholars. Otherwise, he will lose the blessings of being a Believer.

A non-believer is the most unfortunate person in the world; he is doomed to be burned endlessly in the torment of Hell.

Real belief does not consist of believing in some of the commandments and rules while not believing in others. Your faith must be complete.

There are six essentials for having belief: 1) To believe in Allâhu ta'âlâ; 2) To believe in angels; 3) To believe in the holy books; 4) To believe in the Prophets 'alaihimussalâm'; 5) To believe in the next world (resurrection after death); 6) To believe in fate and that all good and evil deeds come from Allâhu ta'âlâ. Anyone who does not believe in even one of them will be a non-believer. If he dies in this state (may Allâhu ta'âlâ protect us all), his place will be Hell eternally.

**5. Proving Allâhu ta'âlâ's Existence:** We do not see Allâhu ta'âlâ. But all the time wherever we look we see His work, His creation. Whatever we see, for example, the sun, the moon, the stars, mountains, stones, human beings, animals, trees, day and night, summer and winter, the creator of all these things is undoubtedly Allâhu ta'âlâ. For no other creature, nor even the most intelligent group of men, could ever create any of His magnificent creatures - not even an ant! Was Pasteur able to create a microbe? Was Edison able to invent a light equivalent to sunlight? Was Galileo able to change the order of the earth's revolution around the sun? Who is the creator of the human brain, which invented the radio and enabled men to fly in the skies and travel beneath the sea? To deny this grand existence, one must be either an idiot, deeply ignorant or the victim of a dense stubbornness. Some qualify creation as Nature. There are some who deny Allâhu ta'âlâ's existence by saying that the great universes in space, the visible creations of the world, the earth's rotation, day and night, the four seasons and all things are the result of the forces of nature and natural laws. These people should be asked: Is there not a master over this creation? We believe that any of the trivial things made by man must be accepted as the product of human will and intelligence. Therefore, is it possible for this immense creation to have created itself? Could an unconscious and dull nature create the order and equilibrium between all that we see before us? Is it possible for a normal mind or even a naive thinker to accept such words from unbelievers?

**6. Fearing Allâhu ta'âlâ and Loving Allâhu ta'âlâ:** To fear Allâhu ta'âlâ and to love Allâhu ta'âlâ is the most exalted form of worship. To fear and love Allâhu ta'âlâ is not only an academic exercise, but a product of great effort and struggle. Everyone cannot attain such a blessing easily.

Allâhu ta'âlâ makes Himself be loved by whomever He wills. He engenders in them fear and dread. This is not the case with everybody. This means He loves those men blessed with His love. Most people achieve this grade at the end of a long period of striving, struggling and working.

There are an infinite number of reasons to fear and love Allâhu ta'âlâ.

Reasons for fearing Allâhu ta'âlâ: First let's think about the many disasters experienced by everyone living in this world. To become ill, to be injured, to lose a body organ, to starve, to be thirsty, to be poor, to experience misfortune in one's family, fires, earthquakes... are all examples of disasters and sorrows which either come from creatures indirectly or Allâhu ta'âlâ directly in a manner predetermined and prearranged for everyone. Fortunately, sorrow in this world is temporary. But the disasters of the next world are everlasting. The torment in the life after death will be endless. However, if a sinful Believer (Muslim) enters the next world, he will be tormented according to Allâhu ta'âlâ's will. The torment of the Hereafter will start as soon as one is put into the grave. Are these not sufficient reasons for greatly fearing Jenâb-i Haqq? An uncountable number of reasons exist for loving Allâhu ta'âlâ too! The first is to be born a Muslim. In other words, to be the child of Muslim parents by itself is a unique and wonderful reason for loving Allâhu ta'âlâ and for thanking Him the rest of our lives. For instance, if we were born Christians, then it would be quite difficult or impossible to find the path of Islam. We would have lived as a member of the Christian community and would have gone to the next world as unbelievers. Yet it is not sufficient in our time to be born a Muslim. It is an extra blessing for one to belong to a family that loves and does its best for Islam. There are countless so-called Muslims who don't practice the requirements of Islam, even though they carry Islamic names like Ahmad and Fatma. It is one of the greatest blessings from Allâhu ta'âlâ to have intelligence and understanding so as to be able to distinguish good from evil. Furthermore, to live under a government that respects human rights, to be healthy, not to live in poverty, and the many other thousands of blessings are all favors and gifts from Jenâb-i Haqq. If we think about the millions of unbelievers and the millions of Muslims who do not have these blessings, it then becomes very easy to love and thank Allâhu ta'âlâ.

**7. Allâhu ta'âlâ's Book (Law):** To believe in Qur'ân al-kerîm is one of the essentials of belief. It is not permissible to doubt even a single verse of Qur'ân al-Kerîm. By reading the books of eminent religious men (Islamic scholars), who love Allâhu ta'âlâ, if there is doubt, it will be removed.

Since Allâhu ta'âlâ is very merciful, no one in this world will remain without hearing His commands and orders. Allah, the Most High, has not only sent prophets, but He has also conveyed His Book (Law). The book of the Muslims is Qur'ân al-kerîm. Since Qur'ân al-kerîmcomprises all the relevant rules and orders within the previous holy books, which were sent to nations existing prior to the time of our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam', it is the book that addresses all of mankind. In other words, Qur'ân al-kerîm is the book that leads to the truth for all men, regardless of whether they are Christians, Jews, or else.

A person who disbelieves Qur'ân al-kerîm is not a Muslim. Non-Muslims will not be released from the Hell-fire of Allâhu ta'âlâ.

Qur'ân al-kerîm is the word of Allâhu ta'âlâ. That is, every word and statement withinQur'ân al-kerîm was communicated to our Prophet 'alaihissalam' by Allâhu ta'âlâ. These words were communicated to our Prophet by means of **wahy,** i.e., through one of the great angels, Gabrail 'alaihissalam'. Gabrail 'alaihissalam', disguised as a human being, read these words to our Prophet 'alaihissalam' and had him memorize them. Qur'ân al-kerîm came to our Prophet 'alaihissalam' piece by piece, chapter by chapter. As soon as our Prophet'alaihissalam' received the orders of Allâhu ta'âlâ, he would memorize them. Subsequently, he had his close companions memorize them, too. He also had his secretaries, some time later, write them down. Afterwards, all the chapters were brought together and Qur'ân al-kerîm was compiled into a book. Every copy of Qur'ân al-kerîm existing today is identical to every other copy of Qur'ân al-kerîm in the world. Not even one word or even one letter is different. However, the Bibles used by today's Christians are not similar nor consistent with one another.

It is absolutely necessary to believe in every verse (every sentence) of Qur'ân al-kerîm. To disbelieve even one verse of it will definitely destroy one's belief. The next world of an unbeliever will be unbearable.

Allâhu ta'âlâ's commandments are not debatable. It is not permissible to interpret them with one's own understanding, to perceive them in accordance with one's own interest at heart. The only person who could understand Qur'ân al-kerîm was our Prophet''alaihi 's-salâm'. By means of hadîth-i sherîfs, our Prophet ''alaihi 's-salâm' explained those parts of Qur'ân al-kerîm which we could not have comprehended otherwise. Moreoever, great Islamic scholars interpreted Qur'ân al-kerîm. Most of the verses in Qur'ân al-kerîm have extensive meanings. Therefore, it is not possible to express the full meaning of a verse simply by translating it word for word. It is only possible to learn the meaning of a verse from the interpretation or explanation of an authorized Islamic scholar.

There are some people who claim that Qur'ân al-kerîm is the words of our Prophet 'alaihi 's-salâm'. These people are undoubtedly unbelievers.

When Qur'ân al-kerîm was being sent to our Prophet ''alaihi 's-salâm', verse by verse, even the most famous Arab poets and writers of that time acknowledged their inability to compete or even write a single sentence resembling the greatness of Qur'ân al-kerîm. From that time onward, it was admitted that Qur'ân al-kerîm was a miracle. Qur'ân al-kerîm is the greatest blessing bestowed upon mankind. This is because Qur'ân al-kerîm reveals the way that will lead man, in this world and in the next, to felicity. How lucky for those who follow this path!

**8. Prophets:** Allâhu ta'âlâ communicated His commandments and rules to mankind by means of His Prophets ''alaihi 's-salâm'. Prophets are humans too. But they are the great men specially created by Allâhu ta'âlâ to be learned, pure and perfect. Due to the spiritual closeness between them and Allâhu ta'âlâ, their minds and hearts have been endowed with extensive knowledge and inspiration quite different from ours. According to Islamic scholars, up to our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' one hundred and twenty-four thousand prophets appeared. Our Prophet 'alaihissalâm' is the last and the greatest of all the prophets. No prophet will come after our Prophet 'alaihissalâm'. Our Prophet is the most beloved man of Allâhu ta'âlâ's creation. He once said to our Prophet 'alaihissalâm': "If you had not existed, I would not have created this universe (all of existence)." Our Prophet'alaihissalâm' was born in Mekka-i Mukarrama. He was not educated in a university; he had not received any form of formal education. He was illiterate.

Nonetheless, he is the most intelligent, the most learned, and the most benevolent of human beings. This is due to the fact that Jenâb-i Haqq created him as the final light of the world; even centuries later another prophet will not appear. This light will maintain its glory until the Day of Resurrection. It is one of the essentials of our belief to believe in our Prophet and all the other prophets 'alaihimussalam'. The one who does not believe in our Prophet 'alaihissalam' is not regarded as a Muslim. Non-Muslims will be put in Hell for eternity. This fact has been communicated by Jenâb-i Haqq in His Qur'ân al-kerîm.

**9. To Believe in the Next World:** This is also an essential aspect of belief. Anyone who disbelieves in the resurrection after death becomes a disbeliever, kâfir. If one goes to the next world as a disbeliever he will be sentenced to an eternal life in Hell. Most of the people of our time appear not to believe in this essential fact. They simply think this life consists in only being comfortable and having an easy life. They act as if their objectives are only to enjoy everything, travel, live in comfort and become rich. Such people do not think about the Resurrection nor do they believe they are accountable for their worldly affairs. A human being cannot live with such a degree of insensitivity. The result of such carelessness will definitely be catastrophic.

Those who argue that it is impossible to be resurrected after death and that the body, after having turned into soil, will not again be brought together are not few in number. But they are certainly disbelievers, irreligious and spiritually poor individuals. Within their minds exist some logical explanations for rejecting the Resurrection. However, is it not within the greatness of Allâhu ta'âlâ to recreate man, if we consider the fact of His ability to create man from non-existence (or from one drop of fluid)? How is it possible to suppose that the creator of this entire universe, with all its marvelous creatures, is unable to again create man? The leaves of trees fall during the autumn season. Consequently, trees appear to be dead with their bare branches. But don't they come back to life again in spring? The great Celaleddin-i Rûmî 'quddise sirruh' by saying: "Which seed is not able to sprout to the surface after being sowed?" indicated that after being buried humans will be resurrected. In respect to this, what excellent logical reasoning is cited below by Hadrat Ali 'kerremallahuwejheh': "Ahmed believes in the life after death. But a friend of his, Kaya, does not believe in the Resurrection. Ahmed tries hard to convince him. But he fails to do so. At last, Ahmed says to Kaya that he, Ahmed, practices all the commandments of Allâhu ta'âlâ and that he believes in the next world. Ahmed continues by saying, 'Maybe I get tired and have more difficulties than you because I practice Allâhu ta'âlâ's orders and rules. I fast and I pray; however, you don't worship at all. But let's imagine that we became elderly and died. It will be certain whether or not the next world exists as soon as we enter the grave. If the next world exists, I will have respect and live in comfort there. If it doesn't exist, then I will lose nothing; the only cost will be the weariness I experienced sometimes while worshipping Allâhu ta'âlâ. But, in your case, if the next world doesn't exist you will incur neither profit nor loss. But, if it exists, that will mean that you will meet with utter loss. You will not be able to rescue yourself from eternal Hell's endless torment. Therefore, according to balanced reasoning and logic, whose approach is correct? I leave this issue to you to ponder upon.' " Nothing can be said against this type of logical argument. Furthermore, we want to point out that to believe in the next world with some doubt is a defective belief. The belief must be perfect and without an iota of doubt.

**10. To Believe in Fate, Goodness and Evil:** One of the essentials of belief is to believe in fate and that all good and evil come from Allâhu ta'âlâ. The meaning of fate as expressed in English is destiny. Jenâb-i Haqq externally knows everything which will be experienced by every man. Nobody is able to change fate. It is changed only if Jenâb-i Haqq wills. Fate is a secret of Allâhu ta'âlâ.

All good and evil come from Allâhu ta'âlâ, since the superior will belongs to Him. Allâhu ta'âlâ has given man only an inferior will. The ones who use this inferior will according to the commandments of Allâhu ta'âlâ will be rewarded. The ones who abuse it will be punished. It is the use of this inferior will that leads men to either Heaven or Hell. If a Muslim drinks alcohol, he will have used his will against the commandments of Allâhu ta'âlâ. If a Muslim abstains from drinking alcoholic drinks, he has used his will in compliance with the orders of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Therefore, one may use one's will at one's own discretion, either for what is right or for what is wrong.

As a result of using one's inferior will in a disobedient manner, Allâhu ta'âlâ will bring evil upon such a person. Therefore, this person is the one who prepares evil. Jenâb-i Haqq is not cruel. On the contrary, the mercy of Allâhu ta'âlâ is superior to the mercy of a mother for her child. Nevertheless, the motive behind an evil act is known only by Allâhu ta'âlâ. It is not always possible for man to understand the reasons and the motives for every will or every affair of Allâhu ta'âlâ.

**11. The Virtues of Namâz (ritual prayer):** Namâz has many material and spiritual benefits. A Muslim who makes an ablution five times daily must as a result be a clean person. A person who bows down, puts his face on the carpet and then stands up again fifty times (fifty rak'ats) daily has moved every part of his body, and, therefore, he must be in good shape. A clean and active person may easily maintain his good health every year of his life. If it is carefully observed, it will be seen that most of the individuals who continuously perform namâz are quite healthy.

If we look at the spiritual benefits of namâz, we can see that a person who is performing his five daily prayers is in fact bowing before Allâhu ta'âlâ and thereby frequently recalling His Holiness. A person who believes in and fears Allâhu ta'âlâ, if he has been committing sins, will come to better understand his wrong behavior. Consequently, he will try not to repeat his sins and certainly will find a way to reform himself. Initially, this act of reformation may not be easy. But as he continues to pray, he will more easily follow the rules of Allâhu ta'âlâ and refrain from breaking His commandments. Thus, he will eventually walk the way of a mature and pure Muslim. Namâz is the best remedy for leading men to the right path. Namâz influences every Muslim to be a perfect person. Hence, any society formed by such men will, of course, be a happy one.

Namâz is the basis of Islam. As a building without a foundation will never be strong, so it is that without namâz Islam will certainly decay.

We stated earlier that namâz is the principal means of often recalling Allâhu ta'âlâ. To give up praying leads to forgetting Allahu ta'âlâ. Allâhu ta'âlâ doesn't forgive the ones who forget Him. Concerning those who forget Him, He says in the seventh verse of **Sûra Baqara:** **"We sealed their hearts."** May Allâhu ta'âlâ protect us all from that type of punishment. Âmîn.

Some say that namâz is a hindrance to good business and making profits. They say that to make an ablution for and to perform the early and late afternoon prayers is particularly time consuming and difficult. This argument is useless. In every work place in developed countries everyone is given at least an hour's lunch break. It only takes fifteen minutes out of this time to make an ablution and to perform the early afternoon prayer. In the afternoon, by maintaining the previous ablution, it will be possible to perform late afternoon prayer within five or ten minutes.

Namâz is the key which opens the door to this world's and the next world's happiness. It is within the capability of everyone to get this key. Lastly, any Muslim who believes in Allâhu ta'âlâ and who is not lazy will obtain this key. This is a matter of will and determination.

Anyone who performs namâz continuously proves with strong evidence his sincerity and conviction in his belief in Allâhu ta'âlâ.

To perform namâz to make an impression or for show is hypocrisy. This type of namâz is not accepted. In our times, almost no one remains who performs namâz for the sake of an image. On the contrary, most people secretly perform their namâz. Nowadays, it is common for those who make namâz to be picked on, to be made fun of, and to be looked down upon. They are also referred to as retrogressive, reactionary, fundamentalist and backward-minded. Therefore, it is permissible to secretly perform your namâz in order to avoid such evil behavior.

Any Muslim who tastes the pleasure of performing namâz will not be able to abandon it.

**12. Virtues of Fasting:** Allâhu ta'âlâ commands all Muslims to fast a month (Ramadân-i Sherîf) in a year during the day–time. This is not a useless, unnecessary order. Fasting provides both material and spiritual benefits. In order to keep the body healthy, the stomach and intestines, which become very tired after digesting food continously for a year, should rest for a month in a year (if a lot of food isn't eaten during the iftâr meal). This is the material benefit of fasting. The spiritual benefit is felt by the fasting person as a result of his experiencing the suffering of a starving person. In turn, this promotes the mutual cooperation and assistance between people. Conflict will never arise in a community whose members mutually help each other.

Furthermore, any Muslim who fasts a month in order to comply with Allâhu ta'âlâ's orders will accustom himself to obeying the rules of Allâhu ta'âlâ. And the more he obeys Allâhu ta'âlâ, the more his capacity to obey grows.

**13. Contentment and Consent:** To be content with one's present state means to thank and praise Allâhu ta'âlâ. Not envying anyone who is higher in rank, richer, more beautiful or more powerful, and simply being satisfied with one's state brings great peace to the heart. And more than this, such a person is the beloved of Allâhu ta'âlâ. The reason for his being the beloved is due to his being pleased and content with what Allâhu ta'âlâ has given him. Hence, Allâhu ta'âlâ is content with him.

Contentment is an inexhaustible treasure. A discontented rich man is lower than a contented poor man. This is because this rich man's heart is not at peace. On the contrary, since the poor man's heart is at peace, he will live as if he possesses a treasure.

Contentment means to be satisfied with everything coming from Allâhu ta'âlâ. One must be content even if a disaster comes from Allâhu ta'âlâ; one must never complain to anybody. But not all people will be able to do this. Those who can are indeed great because this would mean that they have the patience and endurance which is particular to prophets 'alaihissalâm'. The more a person believes in Allâhu ta'âlâ's greatness, the greater will be the person's level of patience and endurance. It is a virtue that should be envied without malice.

**14. Jealousy/Envy:** Anyone who envies someone who has something superior to his, that is, the one who thinks the superior things of others should belong to him is called jealous. This state of mind is the worst habit of humanity. A jealous man is a restless man all of his life. Such a person never sees the ones worse off than him, rather they only look at those who are higher, the wealthy persons and their belongings, and envy them. A jealous person is anyone who is not content with the things given to him by Allâhu ta'âlâ. If someone is not content with the things given by Allâhu ta'âlâ, then Allâhu ta'âlâ will not be content with him. Discontent with Allâhu ta'âlâ is the greatest tragedy. Consequently, such a person will be frustrated in both worlds. So if anyone feels jealous and envious he should try to gradually release himself from such feelings. This is entirely possible. A person may correct himself at any stage of development. Anyone who overcomes jealousy will be in a state of peace and rest. This is not a matter of being rich or poor. This is a matter of being rich or poor within the heart. There are a lot of poor people who continuously thank Allâhu ta'âlâ. Even if they only earn a piece of bread, they never think about the rich. On the other hand, there are many a rich person who suffers from not being able to add millions more to their wealth, which is already in amounts of several million. A jealous person never considers himself well off when with someone better dressed or who possesses a better living standard. In other words, he envies another person's tallness, beauty, diligence, and success. Worse than this, he enjoys the other person's troubles. This type of state of mind is the highest degree of jealousy. Allâhu ta'âlâ's help may cease to come to such a person, and he may remain deprived of His help. But good and benevolent individuals are under the auspices of Allâhu ta'âlâ. There is an excellent hadith-i sherîf by our exalted Prophet 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' that states: "If any Muslim doesn't like for others to have what he would like to have, or if he would like something unfortunate to happen to someone that he wouldn't like for himself, then his belief is not perfect." In other words, our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' doesn't like those who are egocentric. He likes the ones who care about other Muslims. Let's imagine the entire world obeying the orders of our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam'. Would there remain any chaos or mess in the world?

**15. To do favors to men, particularly Muslims, and not to hurt someone's feelings (heart):** Kindness from one person to another, and particularly to a Muslim, is a very positive attitude that Allâhu ta'âlâ appreciates. Kindness can be done in several ways. It can be conveyed by means of money, physical or mental help etc. If a man is not able to extend any help and instead only offers a smile to the men of Allâhu ta'âlâ, this attitude also would be greatly appreciated.

Allâhu ta'âlâ says: **"I will amply help those who help My people."** Is someone who withholds help even though he is able to be of assistance a beloved man of Allâhu ta'âlâ? To hurt someone's heart is to invite the wrath of Allâhu ta'âlâ. One should seriously avoid such attitudes. Allâhu ta'âlâ's love is located within a person's heart. It, therefore, is very dangerous to hurt that spot. Above all, if in that heart Allâhu ta'âlâ's fear and love is placed, one should utterly avoid hurting it.

**16. The Rights of a Mother:** There are no rights in the world more important than the rights of a mother. One should think about the fact that a mother carries a child nine months within her womb. She feeds her child with her blood. She delivers it with a great deal of pain and excitement. She remains sleepless even for months while her child is still a baby. She feeds it with her milk. Later on, she tolerates its naughtiness at all ages. These hardships could not be borne in return for monetary payments and interest. These hardships could only be tolerated by mothers only because Allâhu ta'âlâ has given them pity for their children. It is obvious that a child is highly indebted to his mother in return for these great difficulties. Usually, the child will not be able to find the time or possibility to pay for his mother's rights. Any child who rebels against his mother will be no different from an ordinary rebel or robber. After growing up, will not the hurt and trouble caused by a rebellious child to its mother bring about Allâhu ta'âlâ's wrath and punishment? Isn't it a shame that many children because of being young, insensitive and inappreciative neglect the rights of their mothers. They distress their mothers, and if their mothers, due to desperate conditions, curse them, their malediction may be accepted. Then the child may be punished even in this world. The punishment in the next world will be unpredictably painful. A child who is a bit perceptive and understanding will address his mother's rights and to what she wants willingly. He will always maintain a good relationship with her. If a child hurts his mother's feelings, he must immediately seek forgiveness and not offend her again. If he hurts her two or three times, he should repeatedly seek forgiveness and make serious efforts not to offend her. There will be a very painful ending for those who go to the next world with the rights of their mothers on them.

**17. Chastity (Honesty):** Jenâb-i Haqq, in order to maintain the human species, created the attraction between men and women. But, at the same time, He is testing them in a very difficult way concerning this feeling, this attraction. The most difficult test which we will ever face in our life is the test of chastity. The one who passes this test will be a hero in both this world and in the next. A person's perfection (faultlessness) or inferiority emerges during the chastity affair. Jenâb-i Haqq in various verses of Qur'ân al-kerîm promises great rewards and gives good news to the ones who are able to protect their chastity. He promises Hell's torment for the ones who don't care about their chastity. Jenâb-i Haqq deems murdering a man and unchastity to be equal.

Perhaps ninety percent of all human sins concerns chastity.

An unchaste person will be sinful and dishonorable within society and even before Allâhu ta'âlâ. A whore's honor and dignity within society is almost the same as a strolling dog's dignity in the streets. Male and female erotic feelings exist both in humans and in animals. But, in so far as animals don't have a sense of shame, they can't keep those feelings secret. However, human beings have a sense of dignity and honor; they must try to satisfy their erotic feelings in a legitimate way.

A person's or family's honor and dignity is measured by their resistance to these felings. A rich and a very beautiful woman will not have honor if she is unchaste. Her dignity is reflected. She is a whore within the eyes of society. But a poor and chaste woman has dignity everywhere, all the time. She deserves respect. These are the criteria used in a normal and purified society. The communities whose members only pursue their erotic feelings and violate the rules of chastity are like wild herds of cattle. Moreover, they will only make fun of our words. There is nothing we can say to them. The only thing to say is, "May Allah correct them."

Most of the scandals, crimes, quarrels, jealousies, in short, all types of evil arise mainly from lack of chastity.

Most people cannot refrain themselves from indulging in the things of the wrong path even though they may know the negative results of being unchaste. Accordingly, what are the remedies that can prevent them from entering on the wrong course and lead them to the true path? This is an educational and ethical problem. We have already said that religion means ethics. On this important subject, religious education plays a vital role. Anyone who is taught to fear Allâhu ta'âlâ and who thereby really fears Allâhu ta'âlâ will not be unchaste. Consequently, it must be our primary duty to try to teach our children the fear of Allâhu ta'âlâ. In order to fear Allâhu ta'âlâ, one should know Allahu ta'âlâ very well. To know Allâhu ta'âlâ well, we must learn the attributes and grandness of Allâhu ta'âlâ. A society which never thinks about Allâhu ta'âlâ will not easily fear Allâhu ta'âlâ. To fear Allâhu ta'âlâ is also a matter of knowledge, work and effort. It will not emanate from a vacuum. This fear is easily given to whomever Allâhu ta'âlâ wishes. The fear of Allâhu ta'âlâ is a good indication of a human being.

In metropolitan areas, matters of chastity are going in a dangerous direction. It is quite difficult for a young lady to protect her chastity only by means of her reasoning and perceiving alone. A lady (if she is a bit beautiful) is always surrounded by unexpected and unpredictable risks. These risks never permit her to go to school, walk on the way towards her home, to take a bus, or even to visit her neighbors. Above all, if that girl has inferior morals, she will not know how to resist erotic female feelings and will probably be twice at risk. It is for this reason that it is impermissible for a parent to leave unsupervised, even for five minutes, a young girl. At home, her mother supervises her; outside of the home, her father looks after her like a protective angel.

O my dear daughter! Maybe your father's life may not be long enough to protect you. Perhaps your mother may not follow you everywhere all the time. In that case, will you be a toy of corrupt persons, a disabled creature against the risks? May Allâhu ta'âlâ protect you from such a fate! Âmîn. I first entrust you to the greatness and auspicious blessings of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Later on, I will advise you to avoid such risks by using the wisdom Allâhu ta'âlâ has given you.

My dear daughter, you may live in a place or location which may bring harm to you from everybody all the time. This harm may not come to your money or wealth, but to your chastity, dignity and honor. Monetary losses are easy to make up. But morals, once lost, are extremely difficult to replace.

In our society, certain kinds of pests (corrupt individuals) exist who will make it very difficult for you to live among them with honor. Also, not only will difficulties arise from others, but from within yourself certain problems will occur. If you are overwhelmed by the feelings you feel inside and are unable to control yourself, you will easily fall into the pit of unchastity and corruption. The number of those who have been able to rescue themselves from this is quite small.

You must strive to obtain a legitimate and dignified way to satisfy your feminine feelings. As we all do, you must marry. No reasons exist for not marrying, if your morals are intact. Don't incline towards flirtation and premarital relationships as most girls do. These types of experiences are absolutely hazardous. In fact, to have flirted with the person to whom you are married doesn't necessarily guarantee happiness in your marriage.

A second remedy for protecting chastity is to marry young girls and boys at the proper time. A third remedy is to stay away from those places which may damage your chastity. For instance, to stay away from mixed, male and female, groups; not to drink alchohol; not to be friends with weak and corrupt persons and to avoid all other types of ways that may lead one astray is the best alternative. Such ideas which are considered the rights of youth or entertainment are nothing more than traps for young girls. Any girl who doesn't believe that it is a trap will realize it later on. But it will be too late then. Girls are easily attracted by external beauty and the charms of entertainment. Step by step or immediately, they will become toys in the hands of males. Even a girl who is most confident in her attitude will, at last, not resist. She will easily succumb to the deceitful smile of her boyfriend. So, this girl too is trapped. Above all, if a girl wants a relationship, then she is deeply at risk. None or very few release themselves from such a trap. On the other hand, it is much easier not to go to places of entertainment, which are, in fact, traps. There is an old saying, "If the eyes don't see, the heart tolerates." Any girl who stays away from such places, frees herself from the charm and risks of such places. If she goes, it won't be easy to escape. We don't say this as a form of advice. We argue it on the basis of our experiences.

Chastity is a jewel; young girls are worth millions. Any male who does not fear Allâhu ta'âlâ will use all of his ability to grab such a jewel. After grabbing it, he will have achieved his goal. But then the jewel will have been converted into an ordinary stone. Afterwards, it will be easy to throw it into the streets. In such a case, the man is a thief and the woman is a poor person who has had her jewel stolen.

**18. How should a young woman dress?:** A young woman should appear in a clean and modest dress which doesn't arouse any attention.

A girl too well dressed, especially in a decorative way, will provoke suspicion about her morals.

For a young woman to exhibit her private organs -busts and legs- so that they will be appreciated, is a sign of corrupt morals.

It is a must for a young lady who cares about herself and her family's honor and dignity to dress modestly. A young lady dressing in a manner to hide her breasts while wearing a skirt which is full and ample is a sign that she is a modest house lady. How should a Muslim girl dress? The reply to this question is written in the eighth chapter of the fourth fascicle of **Endless Bliss.**

**19. In society and in the streets, how should a young lady behave?:** The most proper attitude for a young lady is to be modest, sincere, plain and someone not provoking attention.

A disrespectful and sarcastic attitude is a sign of corruption. A young lady with good conduct never looks at an unrelated male with concern and care. It is far better not to look at them at all if it is possible. This should be done naturally, not artificially.

A lady's glance over towards a man's face encourages a sarcastic and aggressive man to become a pest.

A lady's encouraging attitude towards a man will bring disaster. Human beings are different in character and habits as well as in their appearances. A smart and goodlooking face does not necessarily indicate a person with good conduct.

Strolling in a carefree way to attract attention does not leave a good impression. Such a girl will be made fun of and teased.

A young lady's manner of dressing, her way of walking, and her attitude all give an idea about her religious beliefs, morals and character.

O my Allah? By Thine blessing and favour, I have led a long life without suffering grave troubles. During this life I have committed a lot of sins against Thee. I have spent my irâda-i juz'iyya on things which Thou doest not like.

But now the time of my returning to Thee is so close. From now on, the phases of my life in this world and the next will be as follows:

Worldly trouble, pangs of death, life in the grave, the Day of Last Judgement, probable rewards and punishments...

I do not know how I will manage to pass through these dangerous fords with these grave sins of mine. What will become of me if I should not attain Thine forgiveness?

I do not know if my istighfâr and prayers will ever be worthy of admission. Thine attribute of compassion and forgiveness is my one and only hope! Whom else could I trust myself to?

O my Allah! I believe in Thee. I believe as Thou hast commanded in Thine Book, I believe in Thine Book and Messenger 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'.

My eyes have seen the universe stating Thine infinite greatness. My mind which Thou endowed upon me, has realized Thine grandeur. I also know that my sins are not even a drop in Thine ocean of forgiveness and mercy.

I repent of the sins I have committed. Do not lessen my feelings of repentance! Increase these feelings of mine to great sorrows, O my Allah!

O my Allah! Thou likest to forgive. Include me among those slaves of Thine whom Thou willst forgive! Thou art Ghafûrurrahîm, O my Allah!

Hayri Aytepe

Retired Major-General

[Hayri Aytepe 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh' passed away on the second Saturday of September in 1387 (1967). He rests in the cemetery of Edirnekapı.]

39 - WHAT IS A TRUE MUSLIM LIKE?

The first advice is to correct the belief in accordance with the tenets which the Ahl-i sunnat savants communicate in their books. For, it is this Madhhab only that will be saved from Hell. May Allâhu ta'âlâ give plenty of rewards for the work of those great people! Those scholars of the four Madhhabs, who reached up the grade of ijtihâd, and the great scholars educated by them are called **Ahl as-sunna** scholars. After correcting the belief (îmân), it is necessary to perform the worship informed in the knowledge of **fiqh** , i.e., to do the commands of the Sharî'at and to abstain from what it prohibits. One should perform the namâz five times each day without reluctance and slackness, and observe its conditions and ta'dîl-i arkân. He who has as much money as nisâb should give zakât. Imâm-i a'zâm Abû Hanîfa says, "Also, it is necessary to give the zakât of gold and silver which women use as ornaments."

One should not waste one's precious life even on unnecessary mubâhs. It is certainly necessary not to waste it on the harâm. We should not busy ourselves with taghannî, singing, musical instruments, or songs. We should not be deceived by the pleasure they give our nafses. These are poisons mixed with honey and covered with sugar.

One should not commit **giybat.** Giybat is harâm. [Giybat means to talk about a Muslim's or a zimmî's secret fault behind his back. It is necessary to tell Muslims about the faults of the harbîs, about the sins of those who commit these sins in public, about the evil of those who torment Muslims and who deceive Muslims in buying and selling, thus helping Muslims beware of their harm, and to tell about the slanders of those who talk and write about Islam wrongfully; these are not giybat. **Radd-ul-Muhtâr: 5-263)].**

One should not spread gossip (carry words) among Muslims. It has been declared that various kinds of torments shall be done to those who commit these two kinds of sins. Also, it is harâm to lie and slander, and must be avoided. These two evils were harâm in every religion. Their penalties are very heavy. It is very thawâb to conceal Muslims' defects, not to spread their secret sins and to forgive them for their faults. One should pity one's inferiors, those under one's command [such as wives, children, students, soldiers] and the poor. One should not reproach them for their faults. One should not hurt or beat or abuse those poor people for trivial reasons. One should not attack anybody's property, life, honour, or chastity. Debts to others and to the government must all be paid. Bribery, accepting or giving, is harâm. However, it would not be bribery to give it in order to eliminate the harm of a cruel oppressor, and also in case it is the only way to get rid of a disgusting situation. But accepting bribes is harâm in such cases as well. Everybody should see his own defects, and should every hour think of the faults which he has committed towards Allâhu ta'âlâ. He should always bear in mind that Allâhu ta'âlâ does not hurry in punishing him, nor does He cut off his sustenance. Parents' and government's orders, when they are agreeable with the Sharî'at, must be obeyed. On the other hand, when they are in contradiction with the Sharî'at, they should not be protested outwardly, lest fitna (mischief, instigation) should arise. [See the 123rd letter in the second volume of the book **Maktûbât-i Ma'thûmiyya**.]

After correcting the belief and doing the commandments of fiqh, one should spend all one's time remembering Allâhu ta'âlâ. One should continue remembering, mentioning Allâhu ta'âlâ as the great men of religion have taught. One should feel hostility towards all the things that will prevent the heart from remembering Allâhu ta'âlâ. The more you adhere to the Sharî'at, the more delicious will it be to remember Him. As indolence, laziness increase in obeying the Sharî'at, that flavour will gradually decrease, being thoroughly gone at last. What else should I add to what I have written already? It will be enough for a reasonable person. We should not fall into the traps of the enemies of Islam by falling for their fibs and slanders.

40 - QADÂ AND QADAR

**This pamphlet was written by Abussu'ûd Efendi. It is explained in the book Asmâ-ul-muallifîn that his name is not Mahmad, but it is Ahmad. Also, it is written as Ahmad Abussu'ûd in the book** Qâmûs-ul-a'lâm:

Supposing a person deeply learned in Islam follows his nafs and commits sins day and night and, when others perform amr-i ma'rûf and advise him, says to them, "Allâhu ta'âlâ destined in eternity and wrote in Lawh-ul-mahfûz that I would drink alcohol. He, therefore, makes me commit these sins willy-nilly;" in other words, he means that man is overcome by qadâ and qadar and that he is compelled to fulfil the qadar and so is excusable for his sinning, and if, attempting to prove his excuse through reason and traditions, he says, "Before creating anything, Allâhu ta'âlâ knew the things He was going to make. These will for certain come about. As well, He knew the things which He would not create. So these will absolutely not come about. Men can never change them. Whatever Allâhu ta'âlâ communicated in the Qur'ân, which is His eternal word, will willy-nilly come about. So does Fakhraddîn-i Râzi say, who is one of our great savants. In the âyat, **'We said in eternity that they would not have imân,'** which is in **Yâsin Sûra** , and in the âyat, **'I created him alone, and then gave him a lot of property, children, which would help him in all his work, and a high ranking position. Yet he would not be satisfied with these and asked for more, but I did not increase them. For, he did not believe in My Qur'ân, in My Prophet; he was obstinate. Later, I will put him on the mounts of fire called sa'ûd in Hell,'** which is in **Muddaththir Sûra** , and in the âyat, **'May the hands of Abû Lahab be withered! Then they were withered,'** Allâhu ta'âlâ informs that a person will not have îmân. If such people have îmân, this causes the divine word to be wrong, which is impossible. Then, they cannot have îmân. Likewise, He knew that disbelievers would not have îmân. If they have îmân, divine knowledge must be wrong. Disbelievers cannot have îmân. This means to say that man does not have option or will."

If this sinning learned man, after finishing the words of Fakhraddîn-i Râzi, says, "When man judges that doing something is better than not doing it, he does it. This judgement, this preference of his is not from man. Then, man has to do it. As a matter of fact, in interpreting the âyat, 'Allâhu ta'âlâ has sealed up their hearts,' which is at the beginning of **Baqara Sûra,** Fakhraddîn-i Râzî said that there must be compulsion, for, when Allâhu ta'âlâ creates the desire of disbelief in the heart, man has to become a disbeliever. This means to say that man's every movement is like the swaying of trees, the twittering of leaves, the movements of the sun and moon. Indeed, they move as if they were living. And man, though seeming to act optionally, moves under compulsion. As a matter of fact, Mûsâ 'alaihissalâm' said to Âdam 'alaihissalâm', 'Allâhu ta'âlâ created you with His might. He gave you from His own spirit. He made angels prostrate before you. He put you into Paradise. And then men were evicted from Paradise because of you.' In response, Âdam 'alaihissalâm' asked, 'Allâhu ta'âlâ made you a prophet. He sent you the Tawrât in sheets and informed you about everything. When was the Tawrât written on those sheets?' 'Before He created you,' was the answer. Upon this Hadrat Âdam asked again, 'Was it written in the Tawrât that I would make a mistake and then would be taken out of Paradise?' 'Yes,' the other said. Then Hadrat Âdam said, 'Then, I did what Allâhu ta'âlâ had written in His book.' This true word, which is communicated in a hadîth, shows that what I say is correct," is it permissible to let this person go on sinning, or is it necessary to advise him to give up that belief and ask for Allah's forgiveness?

**Answer:** He must not be allowed to remain in that state. If, as it is understood from his words, he believes that man is compelled to sin and is excusable for his evil and that there will not be a reward for worship, nor torment for sins, he is a zindîq. He must be killed right away. If he feels sorry about his sins by saying that there is a reward for worship and torment for sins, but one has to do them, because everyone is a slave in the hands of qadâ and qadar, he will be advised to correct that wrong belief. He will be told that his words are wrong and will be informed of the truth of the matter. He will be answered as follows: Allâhu ta'âlâ knew in eternity the sins that would be committed. But a person's goodness or badness, whether he is for Paradise or for Hell, is known only at his last breath. Our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"A person commits all through his life-time the sins that will take him to Hell-fire. Performing the good deeds that will take him to Paradise during the final days of his life, this very person goes to Paradise."** Whence does this sinning scholar infer that it is Allah's knowledge that he will go on living in this manner and his life-time will be completed as such, so he thinks he has to commit sins until his last breath and gives up hope of becoming good? It is a frequent event that many stubborn, excessive disbelievers have come round to having îmân towards their final days in this world. Why does he not give a share to the possiblity that he, too, will correct himself in the same manner? Why does he not convert to being good? Has he been informed that he will sin till his death? None can tell that it is Allah's knowledge that even a certain disbeliever will remain a disbeliever eternally. Also, it is wrong to say that the disbelievers described in the Qur'ân are compelled to bear disbelief or that to invite them to îmân would mean to ask them to do what is not within their power. For, knowledge is dependent upon the known. Allâhu ta'âlâ knows the things that will happen because they will happen. And the things communicated in the Qur'ân are communicated because they will happen. A painter's painting a horse is because the horse has that shape. The horse's having that shape is not because the painter paints it in that shape. Allah's knowing that some people will not have îmân and His communicating it in the Qur'ân is because they intend to remain in disbelief of their own accord and do not want to have îmân. Their being disbelievers is not because Allâhu ta'âlâ knows and declares them as disbelievers. If they remained disbelievers because Allâhu ta'âlâ knew it, Allâhu ta'âlâ would not have will or option in His own creating, either, and He would be compelled. For, He knew in eternity what He would create, too. Then, they become disbelievers with their own options and wills. They do not have to become disbelievers because Allâhu ta'âlâ knew in eternity and stated so. So, inviting them to îmân is not to ask for something impossible. Believing in the Qur'ân as a whole is sufficient. We are not asked to have îmân in each part separately; then it is not necessary for those disbelievers who are described in the Qur'ân to believe in their own disbelief.

Allah's creating the desire to do the optional deeds is not compulsion, either. Allâhu ta'âlâ creates the desire, but it is man who acquires it. Allah's will is not reserved only for creating or only for not creating something, but comprises both, and so is man's will. We may wish to do something as well as not do it. That is, at the same moment as we wish to do it, we may want not to do it. No one says that he could not help it after having done something. The dialogue between Âdam and Mûsâ 'alaihimussalâm' does not indicate compulsion. Mûsâ 'alaihissalâm' meant to say, "Why didn't you avoid using your will against the command of a Being who has bestowed upon you so many blessings?" And Âdam 'alaihissalâm' meant to say, "Since you have read in the Tawrât that Allâhu ta'âlâ knew in eternity that I would wish and will to commit the deed, and since you know about the numeruous benefits that will arise from committing it, it is not worthy of you to blame me." Allâhu ta'âlâ knows the truth of everything.

41 - SECOND VOLUME, 33rd LETTER

This letter, written to Muhammad Sâlih-i Ghulâbi, informs that every deed of the Beloved One will be liked, that the Beloved One's inflicting torment is sweeter than His favours, and that hamd is higher than shukr (thanks).

May our hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Salâm to those slaves of His whom He has chosen!

O Mawlânâ Muhammad Sâlih, my dear brother! Know that something loved, in the eyes of the lover, and even actually, is beloved always, no matter in whatever state it is. It is loved when it hurts the lover as well as when it does him a favour. Many of those who have been honoured with the blessing of loving and who have tasted loving love even more whenever they receive a gift from the Beloved One. Or their love never changes when He hurts them as well as when He does them favours. Among these lovers, however, there are very few whose love is increased by the Beloved's hurting them. Attaining this most valuable blessing requires having a good opinion about the Beloved. Even if the Beloved thrusts His dagger into the lover's throat or cuts him into pieces, the lover should deem this useful for himself and see it as a great favour and happiness. When he obtains such a good opinion, none of the Beloved's actions seem unbecoming to him, and he gets honoured with **Muhabbat-i Dhâtiyye.** Loving the Divine Person only (Allah Himself) without any attribute, any comparison, any condition in between, is only peculiar to Habîb-i Rabb-il-âlamîn 'alaihi wa alâ âlihissalawât wattaslîmât'. To those who are honoured with such love, the sorrow given by the Beloved is more delicious and more relieving than His favours. I think this grade is higher than the grade of ridâ. For, a person who is in the grade of ridâ does not loathe the sorrow given by the Beloved. But the one in this grade takes flavour from the sorrow. The more the Beloved tortures him, the more relieved and happy the lover feels. Can these two ever be alike? Because the Beloved is Beloved in the eyes of the lover, even in his essence, He becomes Mahbûb in his eye, and even in his essence. Then He is praised all the time; in His every action, he is paid hamd. The lover always praises both His sorrow and His blessings. For this reason, it is suitable for the devoted lovers to say, **"Al-hamdu lillâhi rabbil 'âlamîn alâ kull-i hâl."** Then they will be included among those hâmids who are grateful during times of trouble as well as at times of happiness. This is the reason why saying hamd is more valuable than saying shukr (thanks). For, in giving shukr the Beloved's blessings are in consideration, which in actual fact come out of His attributes or, to be more precise, out of His deeds. But when paying hamd the Beloved's husn-i jamâl, that is, He Himself, is in consideration. In other words, both His Person and His attributes and His deeds and His gifts and His giving sorrow are always loved and lauded. For, the sorrow given by Allâhu ta'âlâ is beautiful as His gifts are. As it is seen, hamd is the highest manner of praising and lauding and shows the husn-i jamâl in the most compact way. Hamd is paid both at times of happiness and at times of trouble. But shukr is done only at times of blessing, and is not continuous. When there are no more blessings, when favours are finished, shukr also comes to an end.

**Question:** In some letters, you have informed that the grade of ridâ was above loving and the grade of love. But now you say that the grade of love is higher than the grade of ridâ. How will these two statements be reconciled?

**Answer:** The grade of muhabbat (love) which we are now explaining is different from the grade of muhabbat which we have written in other letters. That kind of love, more or less, includes other attachments, respects. Though that kind of love is said to be muhabbat-i dhâtiyya and loving the Divine Person Himself, it is not love for (Allah) Himself only. For, a person who is in that grade of love cannot get rid of seeing other attachments. But there are no attachments, no other respects in this grade. We have said in some of our letters that above the grade of ridâ there is a way on which only the last Prophet 'alaihi wa alaihim wa alâ âli kullinissalâtu wassalâm' can make progress, and that no one else can go further than there. Allâhu subhânahu, alone, knows the truth, the real essence of everything.

It should be known very well that something's coming loathsome to the nafs, to the body, does not mean that the heart dislikes it. Its being seemingly bitter does not prevent it from being sweet in fact. For, they have let the figure and appearance of an 'ârif who has reached perfection remain like others. They have not taken the human attributes away from him. Thus, they have concealed his maturity from others' eyes. They have made the world a place for examinations. He who is on the right way and he who has deviated are mixed with each other and are alike. A mature 'ârif's soul and essence in comparison with his figure and appearance is like a person's relation to the clothes he wears. What is man's clothes worth when compared with his own value? So is the value of his appearance when compared with his essence. The ignorant look at an 'ârif's appearance as they look at a mountain. They think that it is like their own appearances and figures which are without an essence or an inner value. They, therefore, deny and disbelieve such great men. Thus, they are deprived of benefitting from them. May Allâhu ta'âlâ give salvation to those who walk on the right way and who hold fast to the footsteps of Muhammad Mustafâ 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'! Âmîn.

[The letter above gives a full answer to the Wahhabis. It is written at many places of the Wahhabite book titled **Fat'h-ul-majîd** , e.g. on the five hundred and third page, "It is permissible to ask for benedictions from the Prophet, and even from anyone alive. Also, one may pronounce one's benedictions over a dead person and ask for a blessing on him. But it has been prohibited to ask for benedictions from the dead. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares, **'It is shirk** (polytheism) **to ask from someone who cannot hear or answer.'** The dead and those who are far away do not hear or answer. None of the Sahâba or of the savants went to the Prophet's grave and asked for anything."

I have written in detail in the seventeenth chapter of the second fascicle of **Endless Bliss** that these words are wrong and slanderous. Also, I have proved it with examples and documents in my book **Advice For the Muslim.** All the Sahâba were higher than all the Awliyâ. They all attained love of the Dhât-i ilâhî. They were content with Allah's qadâ and qadar. They would also take pleasure from the bitter and troublesome happenings that befell them. They would not ask for shafâ'at (intercession) either from the dead or from the living in order to get rid of the things that gave them trouble. They would pray for the healing of any disease that would prevent them from worship, jihâd and work. While being martyred, Hadrat 'Umar, 'Uthmân, Alî, Hasan and Husain 'radiyallâhu anhum' did not ask for help from Rasûlullah's 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' blessed soul, because they were pleased with Allah's decree and predestination. If they had asked, Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' would for certain hear them and would rescue them either by prayers or in person. His hadîths communicate that he hears in his grave. And the Sahâba reported his mu'jizas (miracles) after his death.

Pitying His slaves, Allâhu ta'âlâ created mu'jizas and karâmats so that they would recognize His Prophets and Awliyâ and believe, love and respect them, thus receiving fayd from them and attaining happiness. During the times of the Sahâba and Tâbi'în the hearts being pure and brilliant, the Muslims would recognize the Awliyâ at once and would receive fayd from them. So creation of karâmats would not be necessary. As we are farther away from Rasûlullah's 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' time, bid'ats, sins, evil have increased, their zulmat darkening the hearts. In order to make His Awliyâ known, He has created lots of karâmats. Thus only have the slaves woken up from unawareness and been able to receive fayd from the Awliyâ. If more karâmats are seen on a Walî this does not necessarily mean that he is higher.]

42 - SECOND VOLUME, 38th LETTER

This letter, written to Hadji Muhammad Yûsuf Kashmîrî, informs that there is not even a jot of worldly thought in the hearts of men of Allah:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Salâm to those slaves of His whom He has chosen! Any person who has a mote of worldly love or worldly interest in his heart, or to whose heart a mote of worldly thought comes, will not be blessed with the lot of knowing Allâhu ta'âlâ. The zâhir [the sense organs, the thoughts] of a person who is chosen in this respect is very far away from his bâtin [heart and soul]. From the next world he has come back to the world and mixed with people in order to be useful to others. There is nothing wrong with his talking on wordly affairs or holding fast to the causes of worldly matters. On the contary, it is very good. Thus, he fulfils human rights, is useful to men and benefits from them. Such a person's bâtin is better than his zâhir. He is like a person who sells wheat at a bazaar of barley-sellers. Others think of him as a seller of barley at the wheat-sellers' market, as they themselves are. And they deem his zâhir as better than his bâtin. They say that outwardly he looks like a man of Allah but his heart is with the world. As it is declared in the eighty-ninth âyat of **A'râf Sûra, "Our Lord! Judge Thou between us and our people. Verily, Thou art the best judge!"** I send my salâm to those who are on the right way and those who have been following Hadrat Muhammad 'alaihi wa alâ âlihissalawâtu wattaslîmât'.

43 - SECOND VOLUME, 62nd LETTER

This letter, written to Khân-i khânân Abdurrahîm Khân, informs that man was created so as to be civilized, that man needs others in order to be civilized and live, that man's superiority lies in this need of his, and communicates some other things like these:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and salâm to those slaves whom He has chosen and loved! I pray to Allâhu ta'âlâ that you may attain visible and invisible goodness. For, your being good and superior causes a number of Muslims to be good and comfortable. To pray for your goodness, therefore, means to pray for the goodness of a number of Muslims. May Allâhu ta'âlâ, for the sake of the master of Prophets 'alaihi wa alaihim wa alâ âl-i kullin minassalawâti afdaluhâ wa minnattaslîmâti akmaluhâ', protect you against anything which is not worthy of you! Being aware of your perfect and mature love, attachment and ikhlâs towards the great men of Silsila-i aliyya-i naqshibandiyya 'qaddasallâhu ta'âlâ asrârahum', I will give you a headache by writing these things here. My dear sir! Travellers of this exalted way have become gharîb (lonely, desolate), and have decreased in number in this country [in India]. Bid'ats having been mixed with the paths of today's men of tarîqat, and, thus, they having been corrupted, the people have no longer been able to know the great men who have been holding fast to Rasûlullah's sunnat. On account of this unawareness, and because the majority of the travellers of this way are short-sighted, they have mixed this exalted way also with bid'ats. Through these bid'ats, they have tried to win the hearts of the people. By doing so, they thought, they would mature this **Tariqa-i aliyya**. May Allah forbid, it is quite wrong! They have been trying to demolish, lose this exalted path. They have not understood how the great superiors of this path were. May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless them with the right way! There are very few of the great superiors of this **Silsila-i aliyya** left in this country. Those who are on this path and who love this path must help the true Khalîfas of the great superiors of this path and the true disciples of this path, and must run to their rescue. For, man has been created so as to be civilized. In order to be civilized and live, he needs others. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the sixty-fourth âyat of Anfâl Sûra, **"O my Prophet! Allâhu ta'âlâ and the Believers who are with you are sufficient for you!"** Thus, He informs that the Believers are sufficient for helping the Best of Mankind. Hence, it is understood that it is necessary to help others. Rich people of our time think that being a dervish is not to need anybody else. It is a wrong understanding. Man means needy. Not only men but also all creatures are needy. In fact, man's goodness, beauty, arises from his being needy. Also, man's being a slave, his broken heart are the results of his being needy. If man were not needy, he would be disobedient, excessive, unbridled. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the sûra of **Iqra',"When man is without any needs, for certain he will become excessive!"** Those faqîrs who have freed their hearts from being attached to creatures, when they need to cling to causes express their needs to the Owner and Creator of the needs. When they get the causes, they know them to be from Him. They say that it is always He who sends or who does not send. For many orders and benefits, Allâhu ta'âlâ creates everything through causes. He states that those who cause goodness are good and those who cause evil are evil. It is for this reason that the great superiors of this path have been thanking the causes or complaining about them. Outwardly, they have been deeming goodness and evil to be from the causes. If Allâhu ta'âlâ had created everything directly without any causes there would not be any order in the universe, everything would be all mixed up. O our Allah! Thou never creates anything corrupt or out of order!

It is such a great blessing that my dear brother Sayyid Mîr Muhammad Nu'mân, who is a protector of the Sharî'at, who knows the haqîqats and who is an owner of ma'rifats, is at a place close to you. Appreciate the value of being blessed with his closeness to you. Appreciate the value of being blessed with his prayers and tawajjuh! I think the basis, the foundation of your government, of your power, is his barakat, fayd and tawajjuh. I see him to be your helper, your savior, when he is far from you as well as when he is with you. For more than a year he has been writing to this faqîr [Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî] about the states you have been in. In his every letter, he writes about your love and ikhlâs towards this faqîr. He wrote that the power for governing the place had been given to someone else and that was the time for tawajjuh and help. Upon reading the letter, this faqîr paid my tawajjuh in this way. It was revealed that you were at a very high ranking position. Just then somebody was about to set out. So the returning letter included only the statement saying that Khân-i khânân was seen at a very high rank. Allâhu ta'âlâ alone makes, creates everything! Wassalâm.

44 - SECOND VOLUME, 25th LETTER
This letter, written to Khwâja Sharâfaddin Husain, states that every deed agreeable with the Prophet's way is dhikr:

Al hamdu lillâhi wa sallâmun alâ 'ibâdihilladhinastafâ. The letter which my cherished son sent by Mawlânâ Abdurrashîd and Mawlânâ Jan Muhammad has arrived here together with the other things vowed. May Allâhu ta'âlâ, as a reward for them, bless you with the best things! We are pleased to hear of the news of your good health.

O My Son! This time of yours is a great opportunity. And opportunity is a great blessing. Times passed in good health and without anxiety are rare windfalls. You must spend each hour with the dhikr of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Every deed, even if it is shopping, which is agreeable with Rasûlullah, is dhikr. Then, every action, every attitude must be agreeable with Rasûlullah. In this case all will be dhikr. Dhikr means to dispel unawareness. In other words, it is to remember Allâhu ta'âlâ. When a person observes the commandments and prohibitions of Allâhu ta'âlâ in everything he does, in his every action, he will have escaped from forgetting the Owner of commands and prohibitions and performed dhikr all the time.

45 - MU'JIZA, KARÂMAT, FIRÂSAT and SIHR

Sayyid Abdulhakîm bin Mustafâ Arwâsî 'rahmatullâhi 'aleyh' says in one of his letters:

All of the wâridât-i ilâhiyya happens within the 'âdat-i ilâhiyya. That is, Allâhu ta'âlâ creates everything under some causes. He has given these causes the effect, the power to act. We call such powers natural forces, laws of physics, chemistry and biology. For doing something, for obtaining something, we have to hold fast to these causes. For example, to obtain wheat it is necessary to plough the field, to sow the seeds and to reap. All the actions of men happen within these laws of Allâhu ta'âlâ. In order to do favours, to bestow gifts upon His beloved slaves and to deceive His unbridled enemies, Allâhu ta'âlâ suspends His laws and creates for them things without causes. For example:

1- Phenomena that happen from prophets 'alaihimussalâm' beyond the Divine laws of causation but within the Divine power are called **mu'jiza.** Prophets have to exhibit mu'jizas.

2 - Phenomena which happen beyond the laws of causation through the Awliyâ of the ummats of prophets 'alaihimussalâm' are called **karâmat.** Ibni Âbidîn says in the chapter dealing with 'murtads,' people who left Islam, **"Mu'tazila** and **Wahhâbî** did not believe in miracles, that is, karâmât. Imâm-ul-haramayn, Imâm-i 'Umar Nasafî and many other Islamic scholars 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'alaihim ajma'în' prove that karâmat is something permissible." The Awliyâ do not have to exhibit karâmats. They do not want to exhibit karâmats. Rather, they feel embarrassed towards Allâhu ta'âlâ.

3 - Among any ummat, phenomena that happen beyond the laws of causation from those who are not Awliyâ are called **firâsat.**

4 - If they happen from fâsiqs, from those whose sins are many, they are called **istidrâj,** which means to degrade, demote them gradually.

5 - Those that happen from disbelievers are called **sihr,** that is, magic.

46 - THIRD VOLUME, 86th LETTER

This letter, written to Dervish Habîb Hâdim, explains the reason for the abundance or scarcity of khâriqas and karâmats:

Diving into an excess of mubâhs (actions permitted by the dîn) causes a decrease in karâmats. Especially if one reaches down to the doubtful actions and thence, may Allah protect, approaches the harâms, karâmats and khâriqas will disappear altogether. When mubâhs are infrequently used, not more than necessary, there will be an increase in the occurrence of karâmats and khâriqas. The exhibition of khâriqas (wonders) is necessary inprophethood. It is not necessary in Wilâyat. For, prophethood must be declared to everybody. But it is not wâjib to declare the fact that one is a Walî. On the contrary, it is better to cover the fact. For, prophethood is to invite people to Allâhu ta'âlâ. But being a Walî is to get close to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Everybody knows that inviting people requires advertising oneself. But approaching is to be done secretly. If many karâmats are seen on a Walî, this does not show that he is higher than another Walî who has few karâmats. A Walî who has no karâmats seen may be more exalted than the Awliyâ who exhibit many khâriqas. Author of the book **Awârif** [Hadrat Shihâbuddîn-i Suhrawardî], who is one of the greatest Awliyâ, wrote this fact in detail. While prophets' exhibiting many or few khâriqas does not denote their being higher or lower in degree despite the fact that it is a condition for them to exhibit miracles, how could it ever show superiority in a Walî though it is not a condition? In my opinion, prophets' doing riyâdat and mujâhada and using even the mubâhs in the least degree was intended to exhibit miracles. For, it is wâjib for them to exhibit miracles and it is a condition of prophethood. It was not intended to go up to the grades close to Allâhu ta'âlâ. For, prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wattahiyyât' are the beloved leaders who have been chosen for the way of ijtibâ. Allâhu ta'âlâ, by catching hold of them with the hook of love, pulled them up to Himself. Thus, they were made to reach the grades of closeness without taking pains. Doing riyâdat and mujâhada and struggling in order to reach the grades of closeness to Allâhu ta'âlâ are peculiar to the way of **inâbat** and **irâdat** , which is the way for murîds. But the way of **ijtibâ** through which prophets are taken is the way of **murâds.** Murîds proceed by suffering hardships. But murâds are made to proceed by fondling, by endearments. They are made to reach the grades of closeness without any hardships.

In the way of inâbat and irâdat, it is necessary to put up with riyâdats and mujâhadas. In the way of ijtibâ these are unneccessary. They are useful, however. If a person who is being made to proceed through fondlings and services struggles himself and facilitates his progress, he reaches the purpose faster and goes further up. If he himself does not struggle, his progress will not be so easy and fast. Yes, Allâhu ta'âlâ pulls a person whom He likes up so fast that he goes faster than all. In short, in the way of ijtibâ struggling or suffering hardships is not necessary either for reaching the goal or for going faster and further up. But sometimes these are useful. Riyâdat and mujâhada means to use the mubâhs as much as necessary [and not to do the excessive desires of the nafs]; these things provide those who are in the way of ijtibâ with other benefits. Among these benefits are **jihâd-i akbar** and the purification of the heart from mundane dirts.

Using things which one needs as much as necessary or working to obtain them does not mean to set one's heart on the world. What is worldly is the **fudhûl** (excess), that is, things useless and more than necessary. [Even these things are not considered to be worldly if they are earned and spent in a manner approved by Allâhu ta'âlâ.] Another great benefit of riyâdat, that is, of using things that are mubâh as much as necessary, is that they will shorten and facilitate one's accounting on the Day of Last Judgement. It also causes one's promotion in the next world. The more one suffers in the world the more comfortable will he be in the next world. For this reason, too, did the Prophets suffer mortifications. All these sum up to mean that though it is not necessary in the way of ijtibâ to suffer riyâdats or to use the mubâhs as much as necessary, these are still good and useful. Considering their numerous benefits, we might as well say that they are necessary, and indispensable. O our Allah, have mercy upon us! Bless us with the lot of righteous and useful deeds! Salâm to those who are on the right way!

47 - SECOND VOLUME, 92nd LETTER

**This letter, written to Sayyid Mîr Muhammad Nu'mân** 'quddisa sirruh', **states that to be a Walî means to be close to Allâhu ta'âlâ and that being a Walî does not require having khâriqas and karâmats:**

May our hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Our salâms be to those people loved by Him! I have been praying for the good health of my most beloved brother, Sayyid Mîr Muhammad Nu'mân. Reaching the Wilâyat [being a Walî] does not require the occurrence of khâriqas and karâmats. As it is not necessary for Islamic scholars to exhibit khâriqas (wonders), so it is unnecessary for the Awliyâ to make a show of khâriqas. For, Wilâyat means qurb-i ilâhî [being close to Allâhu ta'âlâ], and Allâhu ta'âlâ bestows this qurb [closeness] upon His Awliyâ after fanâ [that is, after forgetting everything other than Allâhu ta'âlâ]. He may bless a person with this closness and yet may not inform him with unknown things in this world. Someone else may be both given this and informed of the unknown. And a third person may be given none of this closeness but may be informed of the unknown. The third one is a man of istidrâj. His nafs being polished, he is being informed of unknown things, thus being made to fall into the pit of heresy. The state of such people is declared in the eighteenth âyat of the sûra of **Mujâdala: "They think they are** **doing something good. Know that they are consummate liars. Shaytân has deceived them and led them astray. He has made them forget Allâhu ta'âlâ to such an extent that they neither mention nor remember Allâhu ta'âlâ. They have become the soldiers, the servants of Shaytân. Know that these people who are in Shaytân's group have missed the inexhaustible blessings. They have been caught by endless torment."** People in the first and second groups who have been honoured with the fortune of qurb are Awliyâ. Informing about the unknown does not increase or decrease their Wilâyat. The difference between them is in respect of the grade of closeness. A Walî who has not been informed of anything unknown may be more advanced and higher on acount of the qurb bestowed upon him. Hadrat Shihâbuddîn 'Umar Suhrawardî 'quddisa sirruh', author of the book **Awârif-ul-ma'ârif,** is one of the greatest Awliyâ. All the other Awliyâ like him. After explaining karâmats and khâriqas in his book, he says "A Walî of high grade may be given no karâmats or khâriqas, or, karâmats are given in order to increase yaqîn (belief). A person blessed with yaqîn does not need karâmats or khâriqas. All these karâmats are inferior to the dhikr of Dhât-i ilâhî and to the heart's being ornamented with this dhikr." Shaikh-ul-islâm, Khwâja Abdullâh-i Ansârî, one of the greatest of the Sôfiyya-i aliyya, says in his book **Manazilussâyirîn,** "There are two kinds of firâsat. The first one, the firâsat of the men of ma'rifat, is to detect the talents of the disciples and to recognize the Awliyâ of Allâhu ta'âlâ. The second one, the firâsat (clairvoyance) of those who subject themselves to mortification and who polish their nafs by hunger is to know of the secret things about creatures. Most people, not remembering Allâhu ta'âlâ but thinking of the world day and night, search for those who give information about the worldly things which they want to obtain. They deem them great. In fact, they think of them as Awliyâ close to Allâhu ta'âlâ. They do not even turn to look at the ma'rifats, the true and subtle knowledge of the Awliyâ. But perhaps they speak ill of them and, saying, 'If they were Allah's beloved slaves, they would know about our lost things, about our secret thoughts. A person who knows nothing of our states can never understand the subtle knowledge which is above creatures'; they deny the firâsat of Awliyâ and their knowledge of Allah's person and attributes. Because of their wrong estimation they are deprived of the correct knowledge and ma'rîfats of these great superiors. They are unaware of the fact that Allâhu ta'âlâ has concealed these superiors from the eyes of the ignorant and has made them belong to Him. He has made His Awliyâ busy not with worldly affairs but with Himself. If the Awliyâ were attached to men's deeds and states they would not be worthy of Allah's presence." Abdullah-i Ansârî wrote much more about this.

I have been told by my master, Khwâja Muhammad Bâqî, 'quddisa sirruh' that Shaikh Muhyiddîn Arabî 'rahmatullâhi aleyh' wrote as follows: "Those Awliyâ on whom many karâmats and khâriqas were seen have repented at their last breath of having exhibited them. They have said that they wished they had had no karâmats seen." If the superiority of a Walî were to be measured with his exhibition of khâriqas, it would be out of place to repent for them.

**Question:** When it is not a condition of Wilâyat to exhibit wonders, how will the true Walî be distinguished from false shaikhs?

**Answer:** In this world the Walî does not have to be known. The true one and the false must be mixed. In this world, the true and the false, the right and the wrong must be mixed with each other. Nor is it a condition for a Walî to know of his own Wilâyat. Many Awliyâ did not know of their own Wilâyat. How could others recognize them? And it is not necessary to recognize them, either. Yes, prophets 'alaihimussalâm' had to exhibit miracles. Thus a prophet was distinguished from a person who was not a prophet. For, it is necessary for everybody to know a prophet's prophethood. Since the Awliyâ invite people to the Sharî'at of their own prophet, the prophets' miracles are enough for them. If the Awliyâ invited people to something other than the Sharî'at, it would certainly be necessary for them to exhibit wonders. Since they invite to the Sharî'at, it is never necessary that they exhibit wonders. The savants of the dîn invite everybody to do the commandments written in the books. The Awliyâ both invite to this and call to the bâtin of the Sharî'at. First they invite to the Sharî'at. Then they show how to mention the name of Allâhu ta'âlâ. They especially ask us to busy ourselves with dhikr-i ilâhî all the time, incessantly. By doing so, one's body will altogether be suffused with the dhikr, and the heart will contain nothing but Allâhu ta'âlâ. Everything else will be forgotten so utterly that one will not be able to remember anything besides Allâhu ta'âlâ however hard he may try to do so. Why should it be necessary for the Awliyâ to exhibit wonders for these two kinds of invitations? Guiding means to give these two kinds of invitations. Miracles and wonders have no place here. We must also say that a vigilant disciple perceives many of his master's miracles and wonders as he makes progress on the way of tasawwuf. In that unknown way every moment he has recourse to his [master's] help and is always blessed with his help. Yes, it is not necessary for him [his master] to exhibit wonders to others. But to his disciples he exhibits miracles every moment and wonders come upon them one right after another. Can it ever be that the disciple will not feel the wonders of his master, who has enlivened his dead heart? He has made him attain mushâhadas and kashfs. The ignorant think it is a great miracle to enliven a dead man and resurrect him out of his grave. But the great superiors have especially dwelt upon curing sick souls. Khwâja Muhammad Pârisa, one of the greatest Sôfiyya-i aliyya, notes, "Because most people think of someone who enlivens the dead as great, those who are close to Allâhu ta'âlâ have not wished to do this but have enlivened dead souls and have tried to enliven the dead hearts of their disciples. Indeed, enlivening the dead is of no value when compared with enlivening hearts and souls. In fact, the former is useless, it means to waste time doing useless things. Enlivening a dead man provides him with a few more days to live. But enlivening the heart provides an endless life. The existence of those who are close to Allâhu ta'âlâ is a miracle in itself. Their inviting people to Allâhu ta'âlâ is one of Allah's compassions. Their enlivening dead hearts is their greatest miracle. Men's salvation is by means of their existence. They are the most valuable creatures. Allâhu ta'âlâ showers His compassion through them. He sends food by means of them. Their words are medicine. One single compassionate glance they cast at you is a healer. They are jalîs-i ilâhî. Allah's gifts and blessings are never absent from the place where they are. Those who are with them are never evil. Those who know them are never deprived."

The most clear difference distinguishing them from liars is the fact that their words and actions are suitable with the Sharî'at and that the hearts of those who are with them are filled with the fear and love of Allah and cease to care for other things. These signs are seen on those who are in contact with the Awliyâ. Those who have no relations with them are deprived of everything. Translation of a Persian couplet:

A person who is not apt for goodness,  
Will not benefit, even if he sees the Prophet.

[Hadrat Ubaydullah-i Ahrâr says in **Rashahât,** "To do himmat means for an exalted person who has relation with Allah's names to keep the accomplishment of only one thing in his heart. He pays his tawajjuh to that thing. He does not bring anything else to his heart. He wants only that thing to be done. And Allâhu ta'âlâ creates that thing. This is Allah's 'âdat. It is also a witnessed fact that things on which disbelievers have paid their himmat have come about. Allâhu ta'âlâ has bestowed this power upon me. But occupying this grade requires adab. And adab, in its turn, means the slave's adapting himself to Allah's will, not adapting Allah to his will. It means to be always under Allah's command and to do himmat when He decrees a command." Khwâja Muhammad Yahyâ, Hadrat Ubaydullah-i Ahrâr's son, says, "There are three groups of those who have tasarruf (power to do himmat, to pay tawajjuh to others). Those who are in the first group use their tasarruf whenever they want in the heart of any person they like and make him reach the grade of fanâ. Some do not use their tasarruf unless Allâhu ta'âlâ commands. They pay their tawajjuh to people they are commanded to do so to. The third group perform their tasarruf in others' hearts when some attribute, some hâl enwraps them."]

You write in your valuable letter that the sultan of our time has been esteeming Islam, administering justice and observing the commandments of the Sharî'at. We are pleased to read these. As Allâhu ta'âlâ illuminates countries with their presidents' light of justice, so He strengthens Hadrat Muhammad's Sharî'at with their protection and help. O my dear brother! **"The Sharî'at is under the sword's protection,"** was declared. That is, the Sharî'at's spreading and being observed is dependent upon the presidents' protection and help. [As long as the government is strong enough, everybody will enjoy security of property and life. Also, Muslims living in non-Muslim countries wherein human rights are observed and people perform their religious duties freely should not stand against the government or violate the laws because they are given freedom, and also they should not cause fitna or anarchy. They should pay their taxes and debts in time and should be helpful to the government. Scholars of the Ahl as-sunnat advise us to act as we have explained above.] Sad to say, the Indian government's protection of Muslims had been slack for a long time. And Islam had become weak, too. The Indian disbelievers had shamelessly ruined the mosques and turned them into their own temples and playgrounds. Demolishing the gaves of blessed people, they had changed them into parks. While the disbelievers had been frankly committing every sin and every sign of disbelief, the Muslims had been suffering hardships in practising Allah's commands. It being prohibited for the Indian disbelievers to eat and drink during their festivals, they had been preventing the bakers and cooks in the Muslim cities from selling bread and food. In the blessed month of Ramadân, they had been eating and drinking wildly before the Muslims at public places. The Muslims could not say anything. It is a shame that we had fallen down into such a weak and wretched situation though the state and grovernment officials were on our side. When esteemed by the authorities, Islam had shone and the highest savants, the superiors of Sôfiyya had been loved and respected by everybody. With the authority given by the State, they had struggled for the spreading of the Sharî'at. As I have heard, when Timur (Tamerlane) 'alaihirrahma', the prosperous and victorious amîr, was passing a Bukhârâ street, he saw a number of men shaking off the dust from a number of carpets. He wondered whose they were. Upon finding out that the carpets belonged to Khwâja Naqshiband Bahâeddîn-i Bukhârî's 'quddisa sirruh' residence, he approached the place and, replete with love and respect for Islam, stood under the dust of carpets, rubbed the dusts of the residence on his face and eyes as if putting on the perfume of musk and amber, and wanted to get honoured with the fayd and barakat of those who were on the way of Allah. He is hoped to have died with îmân owing to his love and respect for those who were close to Allâhu ta'âlâ. As we have heard, when the news of Timur's death was heard, one of the Awliyâ of the time 'quddisa sirruh' said, "Timur has died and taken away îmân with him."

While reciting the khutba on Fridays, the khatîbs mention the sultans' names after descending down to the lowest step. Its reason is that the sultans want to show the fact that they are lower than Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' and his four Khalîfas. They have it recited in this manner because they deem it unbecoming to have their names mentioned together with the names of those great people.

Sajda (prostration) means to put the forehead on the ground, which indicates inferiority, self-humiliation. It is the last grade of humbleness and reverence. For this reason, prostration is done only to Allâhu ta'âlâ. It is not permissible to prostrate oneself before anybody other than He. One day, while our Prophet was going somewhere, a villager came up to him and said that he would have îmân in him if he would exhibit a miracle. Sarwar-i 'âlam 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' said, **"Go to the yonder tree and tell it that Allah's Messenger calls it."** When the villager did so the tree left its place and came before Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. No sooner had the villager seen this than he became a Muslim. "O Rasûlallah! If you would grant, I will prostrate myself before you," he said. **'Before none but Allâhu ta'âlâ should one prostrate oneself. If it were permissible to prostrate oneself before others, I would command women to prostrate themselves before their husbands,"** was declared. Some of the savants of fiqh permitted prostration before sultans with the intention of greeting them, but in this respect what would become the sultans is to observe their adab towards Allâhu ta'âlâ and not to permit prostration before anyone besides Allâhu ta'âlâ. Allâhu ta'âlâ has made them superior to and dominant over everything and all others needy before them. In gratitude for this great blessing, they must allow prostration, the greatest expression of incapability and self-humiliation, only to Allâhu ta'âlâ, and not make themselves partners with Allâhu ta'âlâ. Though it has been permitted by some savants, they themselves [the sultans], on account of their beautiful modesty, must not permit it. Favours only will be the reward for those who bestow favours. I shall say more when we see each other. Salâm to those who are on the right way, who follow the footsteps of Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'!

48 - SECOND VOLUME, 8th LETTER

This letter, written to Khân-i khânân Abdurrahîm, explains the îmân through the ghayb of the Khawâs, i.e., of the distinguished, that of the ignorant, and that of those men of tasawwuf, who are between these two, and compares them:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Salâm to those slaves of His chosen and loved by Him! Translation of a Persian line:

No matter whatsoever, it is sweeter to talk about the beloved!

It is declared in the hundred and eighty-sixth âyat of **Baqara Sûra,** **"My slaves ask you about Me. I am so close to them!"** and in the seventh âyat of **Mujâdala Sûra,"When three men talk secretly, Allâhu ta'âlâ becomes the fourth. When five people talk secretly Allah becomes the sixth. Also, when they are fewer or greater Allâhu ta'âlâ is together with them, no matter where they** **are."** Allah's being close and together is **bichûn** , as He Himself is. That is, the case is not as we know or understand it. How it is cannot be understood. Men, who can understand through the sense organs and with the help of mind, cannot understand things that cannot be sensed or thought through mind. Allâhu ta'âlâ is far from everything which comes to our mind, thought and comprehension when said "close and together" and from all the things which the Awliyâ perceive through kashf and shuhûd. He is never like any of them. To consider Allâhu ta'âlâ to be like one of the abovementioned images causes one to deviate into the corrupt and eccentric way called **Mujassima,** which is one of the seventy-two heretical groups. We believe in the fact that Allâhu ta'âlâ is close to us and together with us. But we cannot comprehend how this closeness and togetherness is. The grade which the greatest Islamic savants can reach in this world is to believe in Allah's Person and His attributes through ghayb, that is, without knowing how they are. Translation of a Persian couplet:

When told, "Alastu...," those who were vigilant said,  
"He exists," and they said no more.

The îmân through the ghayb, which is held by a few beloved, distinguished and exalted scholars, is unlike the îmân of the ignorant through the ghayb. The ignorant have attained the honour of îmân through the ghayb by hearing from others and through deduction. The distinguished have believed by realizing the existence of the ghayb by means of Allah's veils of jamâl and jalâl, tajallîs and zuhûrs. On the other hand, men of tasawwuf, who are between these two groups, upon seeing the curtains and tajallîs, have thought they comprehended the ghayb and have said that they attained **îmân-i shuhûdî** instead **of îmân-i ghaybî.** They think that îmân-i-ghaybî is the îmân of the ignorant and even of the enemies. As it is declared in the fifty-fourth âyat of **Mu'minûn Sûra and in Rûm Sûra, "Those who are in each group think that what they themselves understand is right."** Another reason why I am hurting you by writing these is that Mawlânâ Abdulghafûr and Mawlânâ Hadji Muhammad are among those who are close to us and whom we love. Every favour bestowed upon them will please us, who are faqîrs. A Persian line in English:

It causes no sorrow to converse with benefactors

I send my salâm.

49 - SECOND VOLUME, 13th LETTER

**This letter was written to Mirzâ Shamsuddîn. It answers his letter and explains the states of savants of zâhîr, of men of tasawwuf, and of those distinguished savants who have reached perfection in knowledge and who are the inheritors of** **prophets:**

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and blessings and salâm be upon His prophets! I send my salâm to you and to those who are on the right way. My dear brother Shaikh Muhammad Tâhir has delivered the valuable letter you sent so kindly. We have been pleased to read it. You say that you have been and will be reading my letters of advice in **Maktûbât** until we see each other. My Dear Sir! Giving advice is our primary duty in the dîn and is to adapt ourselves to the highest of Prophets ''alaihimu-s-salawâtu wa-t-taslîmât'. What the savants obtain of the dîn and their following Rasûlullah is first their correcting their belief. Next comes their learning the teachings of the Sharî'at and practising what they have learned. And what the men of tasawwuf obtain is hâls, wajds, pieces of the knowledge of tasawwuf and ma'rifats, together with those that are attained by the savants. And as for what the ' **Ulamâ-i râsikhîn** obtain of the dîn who have been blessed with the glad tidings that they are prophets' inheritors, along with the fact that they have been blessed with the lot of obtaining all of what the savants of the dîn and the men of tasawwuf have obtained, they have been blessed with many a piece of secret and subtle knowledge. These pieces of secret and subtle knowledge are indicated by the concealed and covered âyats in the Qur'ân, which are called **mutashâbihât**. They have been explained by means of ta'wîl. It is these superiors with râsikh (perfect) knowledge who adapt themselves to Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' fully. These only are the inheritors of Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam'. Since they adapt themselves to Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' precisely, and being prophets' inheritors, they get a share from the blessings bestowed upon prophets. They, too, are made to hear secret knowledge peculiar to those great people. They, therefore, have been honoured with the glad tidings: **"The savants of my Ummat are like the** **Prophets of the sons of Isrâil."** [Imâm-i Yâfi'î, in his book named **Nashr-ul-mahâsin** , reports that this hadîth sherîf is sahîh. In many books, for example, in the letters number 268 and 294 of **Maktûbât** , and in the letter number 121 in the third volume by Imâm-i Rabbânî, and also at the beginning of the book **Letâif-ul-minen** , this fact is written clearly.

It is written in the book Al-hâmilu fil-fulk, too.] Then, you, too, should hold fast to the way of the highest of prophets, of the beloved one of the Creator of all classes of beings! And you should struggle to attain the grade of being an inheritor, which is the uppermost of the grades of happiness!

50 - THIRD VOLUME, 62nd LETTER

**This letter, written to his blessed son Muhammad Ma'thûm** 'madda zilluhul'âlî' **, informs that man's origin is 'adam and that there is no goodness in 'adam:**

Man's essence, person, that is, man himself, is his nafs. This is called nafs-i nâtiqa. When man says "I," he points to his nafs. And the essence, the origin of this **nafs-i nâtiqa** is, in its turn, 'adam (nonexistence). Because lights and attributes of wujûd (existence) fell upon 'adam, he thinks of himself as existent. He thinks of himself as alive, knowing and capable. He thinks that such beautiful attributes as life and knowledge belong to him and that he is the cause of their existence. For this reason, he deems himself mature and good. He has forgotten about the evil and defects which came to him from 'adam, the source of all evil and which became his own property. If a person, attaining Allah's kindness and blessing, gets rid of his manifold ignorance and his wrong belief, he will realize that the goodness and beauty existing in him are not his own property, that they have come from some other place, and that he is not the cause of their remaining in existence. He will believe that his own essence is 'adam, which is the source of all evil. If, as a blessing from Allâhu ta'âlâ, this belief of his becomes stronger, if he returns the perfection and goodness in him to their owner and delivers these beautiful deposits to their proper place, he will know himself to be 'adam only. He will not see any type of goodness in himself. Then neither his name nor his fame or sign will remain. Neither his substance nor his trace will be left. For, he is 'adam only. And 'adam is nothing. He is nonexistent in every respect. For, if he were existent in any respect, he would not say that all beauty and goodness did not exist in him. For, it is beauty to exist. In fact, it is the origin, the source of all beauty.

As it is understood from all that has been said, formation of a complete **fanâ** , that is, nonexistence, in man, does not necessitate his own ceasing to exist. Why should he be thought to cease to exist while he is already nonexistent? He is nonexistent thinking of himself as existent. If he gets rid of this wrong supposition and does not deem himself existent, he will realize that he is 'adam. This means to say that **zawâl-i shuhûdî** [] is necessary to attain fanâ. **Zawâl-i wujûdî** [] is not necessary at all. Allâhu ta'âlâ, alone, knows the truth of every matter.

[All the vices of 'adam have been accumulated in the nafs-i-ammâra. The nafs-i-ammâra hates doing good. It always wishes to do evil. It loves things that will do harm to itself or to others. In order to attain felicity in the world and in the Hereafter, man has to oppose his nafs, enervate it and subjugate it to harmlessness. The primary medicine to sap the nafs is to obey the Sharî'at. All kinds of harâms, fondness for worldly property and position, and self-indulgence are the essential nutrients for the nafs. They feed and strengthen it. When the nafs becomes strong, it attacks Islam, the source of all sorts of goodness, moral beauty, science and civilization. It makes fun of Islam, îmân, and the commandments of Allâhu ta'âlâ. It wishes others to follow its example and become excessive and eccentric, commit injustice, do evil and perpetrate savagery. It calls people who are like it 'neoteric,' and those who are unlike it 'regressive.' Man's arch enemy is his own nafs, and people who have overfed and unbridled their nafs are unaware, ignorant people.]

51 - THIRD VOLUME, 98th LETTER

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

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

52 - SECOND VOLUME, 34th LETTER

This letter, written to Nûr Muhammad Tahârî, informs that Allâhu ta'âlâ is not like anything and that He cannot be comprehended mentally:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ. Salâm upon those slaves of His whom He has chosen! Your honourable letter has arrived here. You write that your states have always been changing. Know that Allâhu ta'âlâ is not within the âlam, nor is He outside the âlam. He is not apart from the âlam, nor is He united with the âlam. Allâhu ta'âlâ exists. But He is not within or outside, united with or apart from it. Allâhu ta'âlâ must be known as such, must be searched for as such, and found as such. If one has reached such an understanding [that is, contrary to the above definition], though it may be in a small scale, it will be understood that one has got stuck in shades and appearances. Allâhu ta'âlâ must be looked for as a being never like anything and never comprehensible. One must struggle to reach that grade in an incomprehensible manner. This great blessing can be attained only through the sohbat of a murshid-i kâmil. It cannot be explained or comprehended through writings or words. Try to do your duty! Write about your states until we see each other!

53 - THIRD VOLUME, 44th LETTER

This letter, written to Nûr Abdurrahmân, Mir Muhammad Nu'mân's son, responds to those who disbelieve the fact that Allâhu ta'âlâ will be seen in Paradise:

Bism-illâh-ir-rahmân-ir-rahîm. People who disbelieve the fact that Allahu ta'âlâ will be seen, and those who say that Allâhu ta'âlâ cannot be seen, strive to authenticate their argument with the syllogism that "Something seen must be opposite the one that sees it. Allâhu ta'âlâ cannot be opposite anything. For, He is without direction. Being with direction means having a limit, an end, a surrounding. And these, in their turn, would be defects, faults for Allâhu ta'âlâ. These defects cannot exist in Allâhu ta'âlâ."

In response to them we say: Allah's power is so much that, in this transient and weak worldly life, He has given two senseless, motionless and empty nerves the power to see the things opposite them. Cannot Almighty Allah, who has given the nerves this power, give the two nerves, which will be stronger and everlasting in the next world the power to see without direction things that are not oppossite them or things that are in every direction? For, He has endless power, and it is possible to see or perceive Him in the next world. At some places and times He has made it a condition of seeing that the two things will be opposite each other and will be in a certain direction, while at others He has given the power of seeing without this condition. Since these two kinds of places are quite unlike each other, it is, indeed, utterly unreasonable to say that the conditions necessary in one are necessary in the other, too. It means to know creatures to be only in this **âlam-i mulk** , which can be seen and measured, and to disbelieve the astounding beings in the **âlam-i malakût**.

**Question:** If Allâhu ta'âlâ is seen, this means that He has to have a surrounding and be comprehended through the eyes. And this means that He has an end, a limit. These defects cannot exist in Allâhu ta'âlâ.

**Answer:** It is possible for Allâhu ta'âlâ to be seen but He does not have a surrounding and cannot be comprehended through the eyes. The hundred and third âyat of **An'âm Sûra** purports, **"The eyes cannot comprehend Him. But He knows, comprehends the eyes. He bestows and is omniscient."** Believers will see Allâhu ta'âlâ in the Hereafter and will say that they have seen Him. They will enjoy the pleasure, the flavour in seeing Him. But they will not comprehend what they have seen. They will get nothing of this seeing. They will realize the seeing, enjoy the taste of seeing but will not comprehend what they have seen.

A Persian couplet in English:

Phoenix cannot be hunted, undo your trap!

Sheer air is what this hunting will trap.

Allâhu ta'âlâ will be seen but will not be comprehended. There will be no deficiency in seeing. Kindly and generously, He will show Himself to His lovers. He will abundantly give them the flavour of seeing Him. No defect, no deficiency comes to Him from this. Nor does this mean that He is surrounded or directed. A Persian couplet in English:

His Highness is never reduced, in no manner.

One never gets tired of this great honour!

To say that to see Allâhu ta'âlâ it is a condition that the one who sees Him will be opposite Him and in the same direction with Him, would mean to say that Allah's seeing will require these conditions, too. For, the existence of these conditions in the one who is seen means their existence in the one who sees, too. Then, these conditions will be necessary in Allah's seeing His creatures, too, and, as a conclusion, He must not be seeing them. Thus, Allah's attribute of seeing will have been denied, and the Qur'ân will have been disbelieved. However, many sûras of the Qur'ân purport, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ sees whatever you do,"** and, **"He is hearing and seeing,"** and, **"Allâhu ta'âlâ sees your deeds."** Furthermore, it is a defect not to see. It means to be deprived of the attribute of being Allah.

**Question:** Doesn't Allah's seeing mean that He knows, that He is omniscient? So, would it be necessary to set another condition whereby Allâhu ta'âlâ would be supposed to have a direction, a limit?

**Answer:** Seeing is a beautiful attribute. The Qur'ân informs that Allâhu ta'âlâ has this attribute, too, besides His other attributes. It is contradictory with the Qur'ân to say that seeing is none else than knowledge. When we say 'knowledge' (instead of 'seeing'), the one that knows will not be saved from the position of being opposite the one known. There are, as it were, two kinds of knowledge. In the first one, it is not a condition to be opposite the one that is known. But it is a condition in the second one. This (second kind of knowledge) is called **ru'yat,** that is, seeing. The most powerful, the highest grade of knowledge in creatures is seeing. By seeing only is the feeling of satisfaction and security formed in the heart. Man's imagination can deny things known and thought. But fancy cannot deny things that are perceived through the senses. Such things are free from this danger. For this reason, though Ibrahîm Khalîlurrahmân 'alâ nabiyyinâ wa alaihissalâtu wassalâm' believed with the heart and most positively that Allâhu ta'âlâ would resurrect the dead, he wanted to see how the dead would be resurrected in order to form **itmi'nân,** that is, conviction in his heart.

If such a beautiful attribute as seeing should be said to be nonexistent in Allâhu ta'âlâ, we shall ask whence this beautiful attribute has come to creatures. For, every beauty existing in creatures is a reflection, a manifestation of a beauty existing in Allâhu ta'âlâ. It is something impossible for a beauty that exists in creatures not to exist in the Wâjib-ul-Wujûd (Allâhu ta'âlâ). For, creatures are nothing but evil and defects. Every perfection, every beauty seen in them has been lent to them for temporary use by the rank of Wujûb (Allâhu ta'âlâ). For, the rank of Wujûb is only perfection and beauty. A Persian distich in English:

I have nothing brought from home;

I and all I have are only, merely from Thee!

Another answer which we would give to the first question is that the reason which you assert is a dangerous way of thinking concerning Allah's existence. To say that it is impossible to see Him means that His existence also is impossible. This is not a reasonable thought. For, according to this reasoning, when Allâhu ta'âlâ exists He must exist in one direction of this âlam. He must be above or beneath, before or behind, on the right or on the left. And this, in its turn, means His being surrounded, limited, which is a defect. But Allah must have no defects.

**Question:** Perhaps His existence is in every direction of the âlam. Does not this also mean His being surrounded, limited?

**Answer:** Being on every side of the âlam would not free Him from the position of being surrounded and limited. Accordingly, He would have to be outside the âlam. Something different must be outside. Being different means being at a different place. And this, in turn, would mean being surrounded, limited.

To get rid of such wrong, deceitful thoughts we must get rid of the illness of supposing that unknown things are like the things that are known. We must not compare the unknown to the known. A beautiful state in something seen can remove the beauty of one that is not seen. For, when the conditions are different the attributes and states are different, too. Especially, if the difference between the conditions is as much as to present a contrast; the difference between the states also will necessarily be contrastive. An Arabic line in English:

Does the dusty and soiled one ever look like the one that is clean?

May Allâhu ta'âlâ give them enough intellect and reason not to contradict the Nass, which are declared clearly in the Qur'ân, and not to deny the sahîh hadîths. Such facts and the like, which are declared clearly, must be believed. We must say that Allah knows how these will happen. Because we cannot comprehend, we should say that our mind cannot comprehend. It is quite wrong and utterly unjust to depend on our mind and to disbelieve what we cannot comprehend. There are lots of right things which mind cannot understand to be right and correct. If mind could comprehend everything correctly, Abû Alî Sînâ[] and the like, leaders of those who relied on their minds, would have comprehended everything correctly and would have never gone wrong. In fact, he said, "Only one thing issues from one thing," thus making such a great mistake that would take only an instant of thinking to realize. Imâm-i Fakhraddîn-i Râzî harshly castigates him for having said so, and says; "Though he had spent all his life on those branches of knowledge protecting man against thinking wrong, at that most valuable and most important point, he made such a great mistake that would make even children laugh."

[It is written in the book **Akhlâq-i Alâî** , "Ibni Sînâ denied the rising after death in his book **Mu'âd.** He is said to have made a ghusl towards his death and made tawba for the cruelties which he had done while he had been a vizier, yet it has been stated (by savants) that the ghusl, the namâz, the prayer of a person with a wrong belief will not be accepted." Also, scientists of the twentieth century say that such ancient Greek philosophers as Plato and Aristotle erred and thus caused the civilization to remain stranded throughout centuries. In Europe, French chemist Lavoisier, who is said to be the father of today's modern chemistry, made such wrong statements that the harm that he inflicted on science of chemistry, in which he was specialized, overshadowed his services. See 39th chapter in second fascicle!

Imâm-i Ghazâlî, in his book **Al-munqîz,** classifies those disbelievers who think of themselves as clever, unerring scientists in three groups: the first group are the Dahriyyûn and materialists, who existed centuries before Greek philosophers. [And today, some idiots who pass for scientists, communists, and freemasons are in this group.] They deny the existence of Allâhu ta'âlâ and say that the âlam (all beings) came into being from itself, that it will exist forever, that it does not - may Allah protect us from saying - have a creator, that the living will multiply from one another and this will go on forever. An atheist who pretends to be a Muslim and tries to demolish Islam from within by undermining the beliefs of Muslims, is called a **zindîq** or **bigoted scientist.** The second group, naturalists, seeing the astounding order and delicacies in the living and the lifeless, had to confess that Allâhu ta'âlâ exists, but denied the Rising Day, the next world, Paradise and Hell. The third group maintained the philosophies of Socrates and Plato, his disciple, and Aristotle, a disciple to the latter. In order to divulge how wrong and how base the Dahriyyûn and the naturalists were, they refuted them and said so many things about them that others need not add any more. But they could not escape disbelief, either. All these three groups, together with their followers, are disbelievers. To our astonishment, we have heard that some credulous people have been looking on these disbelievers as religious authorities and even holding them to be equal with prophets, so much so that they have fabricated hadîths about them. Disbelievers can say anything. But it is a pitious situation that those who seem to be Muslims cannot distinguish between îmân and disbelief.

It is written in **Nabrâs** and in its annotation by Barhurdâr 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ aleyh': "The whole creation is called 'âlam. **'Âlam,** that is, everything, was nonexistent. Allâhu ta'âlâ created everything from nothing. Democrates said, ' 'Âlam had been nonexistent. It became existent by itself.' Most naturalists said the same. According to Aristotle, 'Âlam is made up of matter (hayûlâ). Matter which has taken a shape is called an object (jism), which is seen in three physical states [gas, liquid and solid], 'Âlam has come this way and it will go on as such. The four elements [fire, air, water and earth] have been eternally existent. Though objects originate from one another, these four elements, which are their origin, are eternal.' Plato said that 'âlam was nonexistent in the beginning and became existent later on, learning it from the books of ancient prophets. Pythagoras and his disciple Socrates said as Aristotle said. Democrates asserted that the matter was made up of tiny particles [atoms] which moved in a vacuum. Calinos, on the other hand, said that he could not understand whether the 'âlam was eternal (qadîm) or made up at a certain time (hâdith). According to both, 'What an eternal creator creates must be eternal. Saying that He began creating later means that His power was deficient earlier.' We answer them: 'He began creating when His Eternal Will wished to. It is like a thirsty man's taking one of the glasses of water after choosing. This man cannot be said to have lacked will or power before. Today we observe that the Creator is still creating new things as He wishes.' If it is claimed, 'That the 'âlam had not existed in the past means that time had existed while the 'âlam was not existent. Time, too, is a part of the 'âlam. It is impossible to say that a part of the 'âlam had existed while the 'âlam itself had not,' we respond that we do not say, 'Time existed while the 'âlam was nonexistent.' There is extensive information on this subject in **'Aqâ'id-i Jalâliyya,** and it would be as nonsensical as saying that there were an endless length of time from this 'âlam to eternity.

The 'ulamâ of the Ahl as-sunnat 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ alaihim ajma'în' said, 'The 'âlam is made up of 'ayn (essence, matter) and araz (peculiarity). Matter is what occupies place in space, and peculiarity is what exists not by itself but with other things. [Energy and power are peculiarities.] Light is a peculiarity. If it were an object, it would not pass through glass and water, since two different objects cannot occupy the same place at the same time. It is the same for heat. Matter is made up of atoms (jawhar al-fard). Matter is either a simple substance (element) or a compound (combination of elements). Between the atoms that make up matter, there is very small space that cannot be seen. Every object [substance, atom] changes. Things that change are hâdith (become existent while having been nonexistent). Then, the 'âlam is hâdith.' The first two of the last three propositions are muqâddama (introductory). In the knowledge of logic, the first one is called **'sughrâ'** (minor premiss), while the second **'kubrâ'** (major premiss). The third one is **natija** (conclusion). If matter existed in the eternal past, it would have changed in the eternal past, too. 'Eternal' means 'that before which nothing exists, no change exists.' Then, matter cannot be eternal."

Ahmed Âsım Efendi wrote in the annotation of **Emâlî Kasîdesi** , "Âlâm, with all its parts, is hâdith, that is, it came into being from nothing. Everything, the earth and sky, was nonexistent. Christians, Jews and Magians, too, believe as such. Aristotle, Fârâbî, and Ibn Sînâ (Avicenna) said that matter was eternal. The 'ulamâ of Islam said: Something eternal does not change. Physical and chemical properties of substances [elements] always change. If substances did not change in the eternal past, they would not change now forever. It cannot be said, either, that there was no change in the past but changes took place later. For, in order for there to be a change, a power must take effect. If change took place later, it would be understood that the power became existent later and is not eternal." This is the end of our quotation from Ahmed Âsım Efendi. As it is seen, saying that matter is eternal proves that natural forces are hâdith and not eternal.

Scholars of positive and natural sciences observe that many kinds of plants and animals have vanished and many other kinds have come into being. Everything, living or lifeless, has a life-span. Life-span, or period of life, of everything is different. There are beings whose life-span is measured by seconds, while there are those which exist for centuries. Beings with the longest period of life are the simple substances called elements. This very long life of theirs has puzzled naturalists much, and some said, "Objects disappear and matter changes. But, matter does not cease to exist." However, to say that this changing of substances and objects is an eternal process and will go on like this, means to acknowledge the existence of the Eternal Being. It shows that even materialists and naturalists cannot deny Allâhu ta'âlâ's existence in the eternal past and eternal future. These idiots claim that everything living and lifeless, infinitely come about from one another while elements never cease to exist. However, elements are made up of atoms. They are piles of atoms. Allâhu ta'âlâ created atoms from nothing. If elements existed in the eternal past and everything came about from their various combinations in the eternal past, a tremendous energy and infinite power to combine them should have existed in the eternal past. For, atoms cannot unite without energy. And this power, which necessarily should have existed in the eternal past, is the Power of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Neither atoms nor elements existed in the eternal past. In the eternal past, solely Allâhu ta'âlâ existed. Muslims believe that Allah created everything out of nothing. According to them, for the existence of everything, preexistence of the maker is necessary, and, for the existence of the latter, preexistence of its maker is necessary. 'Eternal past' means 'without beginning.' If something had not existed in the beginning, things that would ensue from it would not exist, either, that is, all of the things we see and know would necessarily be nonexistent. Then, it is obvious that everything ensues from only one thing which, having been nonexistent before, was made existent, created later. Although the materialistic theory of 'existence from the eternal past' can never apply to substances and objects, it becomes a valid and indispensable fact when it comes to the Unique Creator, who created all substances but who is not a substance. Saying so, therefore, does not cause the contradiction stated above. As it is seen, there is the One Being who is eternal. This Being is, contrary to what materialists, naturalists or communists suppose, unlike the insensible, inert and short-lived objects that we know and which soon perish and rot. This Eternal Being is Allah, the One Who is not material, Who resembles nothing, knows, sees and dominates everything and in Whom Muslims believe. Everything was and is created by Him. Substances, objects, living beings and various energies, which we call 'nature', are not creative as unbelievers suppose. Allâhu ta'âlâ created all of them, gave them the power of affecting one another and made the old ones to be causes and means for His creating new ones. Allâhu ta'âlâ does not need such causes or the effects of causes. He could create without any means, too. Yet He creates through causes and means. There is wisdom, benefits for His human slaves in His creating through causes. One of such benefits is that man, seeing or hearing from others the effects and properties given to these causes, uses material and non-material causes. On the one hand, by establishing new syntheses and analyses, he causes the creation of new materials and objects, and various industrial plants and factories; on the other hand, his heart and moral values are purified and man thus resembles angels, becomes a Walî of Allah and attains ma'rifat-Allah. Man can obtain something by clinging to its cause. Applying, clinging to causes is a prophetic behaviour. The human mind or power, too, causes Allâhu ta'âlâ's creation and forms a ring on the chain of causes. Naturalists' and communists' considering causes as creative resembles a child's saying, "Dad created chocolate," when its father brings chocolate to it. For, the child sees its father as giving the chocolate and knows nothing else.

Again Ahmed Âsım Efendi wrote: "If Allâhu ta'âlâ were hâdith but not qadîm (eternal), He would have been created by a creator, who, if qadîm, would have been Allah, or, if hâdith, should have been created by another creator. Thus, there would have been a chain of creators who were not qadîm. The existence of this chain, called **tasalsul** is impossible. That tasalsul is impossible is proved by **burhân-i tatbîq** (supra-application). Let's arrange the infinite creators of one thing, beginning from the first to infinity side by side. Let's arrange a second row of creators beginning from the second creator. The second row, which is infinite on one end, is shorter than the first one since it lacks the first creator. The short row, then, cannot be said to be 'infinite.' Since the second row cannot be infinite, the first row, which is greater than the second only by one number, cannot be infinite, either. That is, a **half** line with one end at infinity can be assumed, yet such a thing cannot exist. There cannot be tasalsul. An infinite number of creators cannot exist. There can be one creator who exists infinitely. This One Creator is eternal in the past and eternal in the future, and exists endlessly. His existence depends on Himself, not on someone else. If a person who has reached puberty and heard that Allâhu ta'âlâ exists eternally and that everything else was created from nothing does not use his reason and thought and denies, or uses his reason and thought but denies and says, 'Reason does not accept it; it is not agreeable with science,' he becomes a kâfir. He will suffer endless torture and burning in Hell." On the other hand, a person who has not heard it and, therefore, does not use his thought and thus does not know or believe in Him becomes a kâfir, too, and he will not go to Paradise; yet, he will not go to Hell, either. He will not be subjected to the penalty inflicted on kâfirs; yet he will be made into soil and vanish after his questioning is completed. Allâhu ta'âlâ declared in the fifteenth âyat of **Îsâ Sûra,** **"We do not torment unless we have sent prophets."** It is understood from this âyat that it is only after prophets' revelations and after learning these revelations by hearing or reading that it becomes fard to investigate the order in nature in order to understand Allâhu ta'âlâ's existence and unity. Ibni Âbidîn says in its section dealing with the murtad (apostate), "Those scholars from the city of Bukhârâ said, 'An injunction is not done before the appearing of a prophet and his teaching the religion.' The Madhhab of Ash'ari says the same. This is the most preferred statement. These scholars said that the meaning of the statement, 'A person wise enough cannot be exempted from (the liability of) knowing of the existence of a Creator inasmuch as he sees the sky, the earth, and himself,' conveys the connotation that 'he will not be exempted after learning the fact from prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât'.' " Imâm-i Rabbânî 'quddisa sirruh' states the same fact in his letter number 266.

It is written in **Burhân-i qâti'** that Plato lived during the time of 'Îsâ 'alaihissalâm'. And in European books, it is written that he died three hundred and forty-seven (347) years before the honourable birth of Îsâ (alaihissalâm). Since the teachings of this Greek philosopher are famous, his time of death is dependable. But, because Hadrat Îsâ 'alaihissalâm' was born secretly, taken up to heaven after a short life in the world and known only by his twelve apostles, and because the Îsâwîs (his followers) were few and they lived in seclusion for centuries, Christmas Eve, that is, his birthday, could not be determined correctly. Along with the fact that the birthday is estimated to be on December tewenty-fifth or January sixth or some other day, it is written in books in various languages, and for example, Hasîb Bey's book **Kozmografya** [edited in 1333 A.H. (1915)], and also in **Taqwîm-i-Abuzziyâ,** that today's years of the Christian era are lacking five years. Then the anno domini, unlike Muslims' year, hijrî, is not correct and certain, and its day and year are doubtful and wrong. As Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbâni 'quddisa sirruh' and **Burhân-i qâti'** note, it lacks more than three hundred years, and the elapse of time between Îsâ 'alaihissalâm' and Muhammad 'alaihissalâm' is no less than a thousand years. It is written in the third chapter of the second volume of **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya** , "As Ibni Asâkir quotes from Sha'bî, there are nine hundred and sixty-three (963) years between Hadrat Îsâ and Hadrat Muhammad."

Imâm Muhammad Ghazâlî, Imâm Ahmad Rabbânî and many other Islamic superiors studied Greek philosophy, picked it into pieces and divulged how ignorant, stupid and agnostic those philosophers were. They wrote in many of their books that Muslims should not like or believe such disbelievers.

Then, it is quite out of place and wrong for disbelievers, renegades, enemies of Islam to say, "Islamic savants and men of tasawwuf were influenced by Greek philosophers, by the Roman mystics and by the school of Ptolemy." These are slanders antagonistically intended to belittle Islamic savants by demoting them to the degree of their disciples and imitators. However, Islamic savants have refuted the Greek and Roman philosophy and law with their very subtle and strong knowledge, beaten them to the ground and announced that, of their statements on law, morals and medicine, the true ones were stolen from the books of ancient prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât'. Statements of The Sôfiyya-i aliyya on tasawwuf, contrary to the supposition of the ignorant and hostile, were not made by reading books, learning from others or imitating, but they were the ma'rifats flowing into their blessed hearts, pure souls, which is called kashf. Many letters of **Maktûbât** explain these facts very well and explicitly.

Philosophers and today's communists are people who attempt to comprehend everything through mind and to adapt it to mind and who believe only what mind approves. They have been able to find out the truth in things that mind can comprehend, yet have gone wrong and erred in facts that mind cannot grasp or reach. As a matter of fact, later ones have censured earlier ones, and they have reproved one another.

But Islamic savants 'rahmatullâhi ta'âlâ 'alaihim ajma'în', after studying the scientific knowledge up to their time and learning well the eighty main branches of knowledge, have opened their hearts and purified their nafses in the way shown by the Sharî'at, thus finding out the truth and reaching perfection in those branches of knowledge which mind cannot comprehend, too. To call Islamic savants philosophers means to downgrade them. Philosophers are people enslaved, imprisoned by the erring mind. When they say something through mind without experimentation, and when they are tricked by their imagination while explaining the experiments, they make mistakes and are harmful. For this reason and since they cannot exceed the limits of mind, they cannot be exalted like Islamic savants.

He who is without a mind is mad. He who does not use his mind is prodigal. It is prodigality not to act reasonably. He who has a little mind is an idiot. A person who follows and depends on mind only and who goes wrong in what mind cannot comprehend is a philosopher. And those exalted people who depend on mind on what mind can comprehend and who the guide mind to the right way under the light of the Qur'ân in matters that may confuse mind, are Islamic savants. Then, there is no philosophy in Islam. There is no Islamic philosophy, nor are there Islamic philosophers. There are the branches of Islamic knowledge, which are above philosophy, and Islamic savants, who are superior to philosophers.

Mind is like an eye, and the Sharî'at is like light. In other words, man's mind is weak by creation, like his eyes. Our eyes cannot see objects in the dark. Allâhu ta'âlâ has created the sun, light, so that we might utilize our organ of sight. If it were not for the light of the sun and various sources of light, our eyes would be useless. We could not shun dangerous things or places, nor could we find useful things. Yes, he who does not open his eyes or whose eyes are out of order cannot utilize the sun. But such people do not have the right to blame the sun.

Likewise, our mind cannot understand heavenly facts, useful and harmful things by itself. Allâhu ta'âlâ created prophets, the light of the Sharî'at so that we might utilize our mind. If prophets had not shown the way of being comfortable in this world and the next, our mind would be useless, for it could not find it. We could not avoid dangers and harms. Yes, people or peoples who do not adapt themselves to Islam and who have a little mind cannot appreciate prophets. They cannot elude dangers and the harms in this world and the next. No individual, no society can be prosperous unless they follow the way shown by prophets, no matter how many scientific means, how high posts and ranking positions, and how much money they have. Happy, pleased as they may look, they are in deep distress. Those who live comfortably and happily both in this world and in the next are only those who adapt themselves to prophets. It should be known also that to attain comfort and happiness, claiming or pretending to be Muslim only is not sufficient. It is necessary to learn Islam well and to obey the commandments and prohibitions.]

The savants of Ahl as-sunnat proved the teachings of the Sharî'at, whether mind can comprehend them or not. May Allâhu ta'âlâ profusely reward them for their efforts! They never contradicted any of these teachings just because mind would not comprehend it. Thus, they immediately believed in torment in the grave, the fact that two angels named **Munkar** and **Nakir** will ask questions in the grave, the existence of the Bridge of Sirât and the scales of the Judgement Day. They did not say that these were impossible because mind could not comprehend them. For, these superior people adapted themselves to the Qur'ân and to hadîths. They made their minds dependent upon these two basic sources. They explained what they could understand. And what they could not understand, they believed exactly as it was. About what they could not understand, they said they could not understand it because their minds could not grasp it. They did not do as philosophers did. Philosophers believed things that are within mind's grasp and disbelieved those which their minds could not comprehend. They did not know that the sending of prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât' was because mind could not comprehend most of the things liked by Allâhu ta'âlâ. Mind is a document but not a perfect one. It has become a complete document with the sending of prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wattaslîmât'. [In other words, mind has learned everything only because those superior people were sent.] Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the fifteenth âyat of **Isrâ Sûra, "We do not torment unless we have sent prophets."**

Returning to the subject under discussion, we say that though seeing something opposite us requires being in the same direction, seeing something which is not near us does not require it. Something far away is not in one direction with respect to our position, nor is it seen at one side. Something which is not in one direction before being seen is not in any direction while it is being seen, either. Seeing something that cannot be understood happens in a manner which cannot be understood. A material being cannot understand someone beyond matter. An Arabic line in English:

The Sultan's numerous presents can be carried only with His vehicles.

It is wrong, unreasonable to liken seeing the one that cannot be understood to seeing things which we understand. Allâhu ta'âlâ alone makes man attain to the right way.

I am a Muslim, the throne that I worship day and night is One.

Not for a minute did I cease from Unity; Allah is One.

54 - THIRD VOLUME, 39th LETTER

This letter, written to Mawlânâ Muhammad Sâdiq Keshmirî, explains the difference between the 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of the men of tasawwuf and the 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of philosophers:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Salâm to those slaves of His chosen and loved by Him! According to men of tasawwuf, 'ilm-ul-yaqîn means to infer the agent of the work by seeing the work. Also philosophers, who follow the way of understanding and judging everything under the guidance of the mind, are of the same opinion. What is the difference between these two? Why does the 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of men of tasawwuf get formed through kashf and shuhûd? In what way is the 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of those savants of the dîn who are not men of tasawwuf like that of philosophers? We shall explain these briefly. In both types of 'ilm-ul-yaqîn it is necessary to see the work. A path through the work will lead to the unseen doer. The path that leads man to the doer from the work is the relation between these two. In the 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of the men of tasawwuf, this relation is seen through kashf and shuhûd, too. But in the 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of savants of the dîn and of philosophers this relation is realized through mind, by thinking and observing. For this reason, men of tasawwuf's recognizing the doer from the work is hadsî (inductive, intuitive). That is, it happens automatically and spontaneously. In fact, it is **badîhî,** that is, it is obvious, quite clear. But the others' inferring the doer by seeing the work is by thinking, observing. As it is seen, the 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of men of tasawwuf is through kashf and shuhûd. But the others' ilm-ul-yaqîn cannot be formed without observing with mind. The 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of men of tasawwuf also is called **istidlâl,** that is, thinking, yet it is called so because inferring the doer from the work is given this name. In actual fact, it is not istidlâl, but it is kashf and shuhûd. The 'ilm-ul-yaqîn of savants of the dîn is through istidlâl. Many people could not understand this subtle difference. Some of them spoke ill of great men of tasawwuf. Allâhu ta'âlâ, alone, communicates the truth of every matter. May our salâm be upon those who are on the right way!

55 - THIRD VOLUME, 50th LETTER

This letter, written to Qâdî Nasrullah, explains the difference between the istidlâls of the 'ulamâ-i rasikhîn and that of other Islamic scholars:

Istidlâl means to infer the existence of the doer of the work by seeing the work, that is, to know the existence of the Creator by seeing creatures. The **'ulamâ-i râsikhîn** and the **'ulamâ-i zâhir** always perform istidlâl and say that creatures have been communicating [the existence of] the Creator. Those savants who, as stated in a hadîth, are prophets' inheritors are called 'ulamâ-i râsikhîn. Not all the Islamic scholars are so. Those savants who are not râsikh understand the existence of the Creator by knowing the existence of creatures. They say that the existence of the work communicates existence of the doer. Thus, they believe in the existence of the doer. But the 'ulamâ'-i râsikhîn have passed beyond all the high grades of Wilâyat, that is, of being Awliyâ, and have reached the grade of da'wat (call, invitation), which is peculiar to prophets. After the happening of tajallîs and mushâhadas in them, they, too, deduce the doer from the work. And through this way they believe the real doer, that is, have îmân in the existence of Allâhu ta'âlâ. After reaching the end, they realize that everything which they have found out through mushâhada and tajallî is not the real being but one of the shades of the appearances of the real being. "It cannot be believed as the real being. One cannot have îmân in the real being without istidlâl," they say. By doing istidlâl, they go on searching for the real being without the shades coming between. Because they love the real being only and because they will sacrifice everything else for the real being, they attain to the real being through such istidlâl. As it is stated in the hadîth, **"A person will be together with whom he loves,"** they attain to the real being, who actually exists beyond the tajallîs and zuhûrs, which are mixed with shades. Being pulled with the rope of love, these great people reach the true origin in person while the savants of zâhir reach there in knowledge only. An attainment happens which cannot be understood. The difference between these two types of attainments comes from love. He who loves and ceases from everything other than his beloved attains to his beloved. But he who does not have such a love only learns, knows about this attainment and considers this knowledge of his as a great blessing. However, such savants do not know precisely the grade which those great superiors have reached. And the ones who know only know the way that leads to that grade. Those who have reached have reached, attained completely, and have become united. As expressed by the following Arabic line, one of those superiors states:

The slave's attaining to his Creator is like sugar's being mixed with milk.

The first thing to be done is to be a slave and to get rid of other things by being a slave to Him.

56 - SECOND VOLUME, 59th LETTER

**This letter, written to Khwâja Muhammad Abdullah** 'sallamahullâhi ta'âlâ', **his murshid's son, informs that everything occurring to mind or imagination and everything understood through kashf and shuhûd are creatures and that they are called mâ-siwâ:**

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ and salâm to those slaves of His chosen and loved by Him! The valuable letter sent by the light of my eye has arrived here. "As if they were toys on the way of tasawwuf, all the things diverting the travellers have disappeared with the help of Allâhu ta'âlâ. Nothing is now continuous. Everything coming to my mind or imagination is disappearing as soon as I say the word 'lâ'," you say. You write many other similar things. You add that you have been struggling so that they will be annihilated and hoping that later on they will be annihilated spontaneously. My dear son! All the things coming to mind and imagination, even those pieces of knowledge found out through kashf and shuhûd, are **mâ-siwâ,** whether they are **âfâqî,** outside of man, or **anfusî,** inside man. [In other words, they are the creatures of Allâhu ta'âlâ.] To set the heart on them means to waste the time on trivial things such as playing and toys. It is to play with useless things. If their annihilation is managed by struggling, this work is, **'ilm-ul-yaqîn.** If they are annihilated by themselves, without struggling, the matter has exceeded the limits of a struggle and gone beyond the street of knowledge, and one has been honoured with **fanâ.** It is easy to say but difficult to attain these. They are attained only by those people whom Allâhu ta'âlâ has blessed with the lot. The things in the grade of **haqîqat** are attained later. After fanâ the grade of **ithbât** is attained. After knowledge the **ayn** is attained. The tarîqat is of no value when compared with the haqîqat. **Nafy** [to dispel the thought of creatures from the heart] is of no value when compared to **ithbât** [to attain to the Purpose, the Real Being]. For, while doing the nafy one is busy with creatures. But when doing the ithbât there is nothing besides Allâhu ta'âlâ. [In the **âlam-i mithâl** ] nafy, when compared with ithbât, looks like a drop of water compared with an infinite sea. When the nafy and ithbât are reached one will attain to **Wilâyat-i khâssa**. After the wilâyat-i khâssa, one either does urûj, that is, goes up, or does **nuzûl,** that is, goes back down. If one does **urûj,** one has to do nuzûl again later. O our Allah! Increase the nûr which Thou hast endowed upon us! Forgive us our sins! Thou canst do everything. Salâm to you, to those who are on the right way and who have been following Muhammad Mustafâ 'alaihissalâtu wassalâm'!

57 - 61st LETTER

**The sixty-first letter in the book** Maktûbât **by the great Walî, Murshid-i kâmil Abdullâh-i Dahlawî, was written to Khwâja Hasan Mawdûd, and the following is its translation into English:**

All the guiding letters [explaining the wahdat-i wujûd] of the noble Hadrat Khwâja Hasan Sâhib-there is no need to write any words expressing his superiority-consist of true, reasonable, necessary and valuable pieces of knowledge that will be admitted by the great superiors. They are liked by the Awliyâ-i kirâm. Suffering vehement hardships, risking their lives, those great superiors attained to these states. The secrets of tawhîd originate from performing dhikr, doing murâqaba very much, and from excessive love. Your writing the states of tawhîd in this manner has pleased this faqîr very much. May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless you! May He bestow good rewards for your service! If I do not write what I know in this respect, I will have not paid you your due. If I write, I will have committed irreverence against a great person. Our superiors commanded us to answer questions asked with ikhlâs. Obeying the command comes before observing the adab. I am writing for this reason. The superiors of **Mujaddidiyya** [the disciples of Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî, including those who have come up to now] have declared that while performing dhikr and murâqaba, the occurring of kayfiyyats, hâls and nûrs is called **'ilm-ul-yaqîn.** The shining of a light of the grade of **ihsân** in the heart, which is communicated in a hadîth, is called **ayn-ul-yaqîn**. Adopting the habits of Allâhu ta'âlâ is called **haqq-ul-yaqîn**. While doing dhikr its meaning must be thought about. When this meaning pervades all one's conscience the heart becomes lighted with nûrs. So one thinks one has attained to the meaning. One feels as if one were united with Allâhu ta'âlâ. My dear sir! Who on earth could object to these words of the superiors? Ruzbahân-i Baqlî and Molla Aliyy-ul-qâri insisted on denying this ma'rifat. In response to them, this faqîr [Hadrat Abdullah-i Dahlawî means himself] has written: out of his excessive love for Leylâ, Majnûn-i Âmirî gave up eating and drinking. He turned away from everything else. He began to mention the name of Leylâ incessantly. Later on he said he was Leylâ. He saw everything to be Leylâ. After suffering many hardships the nafs becomes purified, loses the properties and effects of the body and attains to the state of the soul. When one does dhikr very much and the meaning of dhikr covers one all over, one deems oneself to be united with the rank of tanzîh, too. [When covered with this state of deeming], Hussain bin Mansûr said, "Ana 'l-Haqq" (I am Haqq). We ignorant people cannot think over this subtle ma'rifat. Such words as "I am Ahmad without the 'm'," [which means 'I am Ahad,' which also means Allah], and "I am the Arab without the 'ayn (the first 'a')" [which means 'I am Rabb,' which is another name for Allah], are not hadîths. They are the words concocted by the followers of those (great people) who have attained the grade of tawhîd - May Allâhu ta'âlâ forgive them all! Also, those things which are written in the book **Nahj-ul-balâghât** under the name of Hadrat Ali's khutbas are untrue.

[It is unanimously informed by Islamic savants that the book **Nahj-ul-balâghât** was written by a Shî'î named Radî. Hadrat Abdul-'azîz-i Dahlawî, one of the great savants of India, writes in detail in his great book **Tukhfa-i ithnâ ashariyya** that Radî, author of the book, was a Jew. In Rampour city of India, a Râfidî named Imtiyâz Alî Arshî wrote a book named **Istinâd** in 1389 A.H. (1969); he attempted to prove that the book **Nahj-ul-balâghât** was correct, yet the people whom he puts forward as witnesses are such heretical masons as Abdoh and other well-known Shî'îs. They published the second edition of **Istinâd** in Teheran in 1393 hijrî and have been spreading its copies in Muslim countries, thus striving to deceive youngsters who are **Sunnî.** It is written also in the preface of the book **Istinâd** that the savants of that era, such as Imâm-i Dhahabî and Ibni Hajar-i Asqalânî, said, "This book has been written by Sharîf Radî." Each statement made by (anyone) of these three great savants is a witness, a strong document. There is no need to look for other witnesses to prove that **Nahj-ul-balâghât** is corrupt. Muslims should not read such wrong, doubtful books. They should read the sound books of hadîth such as **Bukhârî, Muslim** and others, and their explanations.]

The mysteries of **tawhîd-i wujûdî** have been born in the hearts of those who suffered riyâdât and those who dived into the ocean of love. The number of these exalted people is so great that it is impossible to disbelieve the fact. There is no need for those who have been following these great people to give different meanings to the âyats of the Qur'ân or to hadîths in order to prove their words right. No one doubts the existence of this ma'rifat. But it has been prohibited by the âyat, **"Their knowledge cannot reach up to Him!"** to suppose that this ma'rifat is the purpose of tasawwuf and the end of sayr and sulûq. Nor have the savants dwelt upon this ma'rifat. You have not completed the guidance by explaining your statement, "He who disbelieves this ma'rifat cannot attain!" For this reason, it is necessary to explain first what attainment means.

58 - 85th LETTER

The following is the translation from Persian of the eighty-fifth letter of the book Maktûbât by Hadrat Abdullah-i Dahlawî, a great Walî and Murshid-i kâmîl:

Hamd be to Allâhu ta'âlâ! Salât and salâm be over His beloved Prophet, Hadrat Muhammad 'alaihissalâm'! This is the letter [written to the Muslims of India] by faqîr Abdullâh-i Qâdirî, Naqshibandî and Mujaddidî, who is well known for his name Ghulâm-i Alî. May Allâhu ta'âlâ forgive his sins!

**BÎ'AT** means to promise and to abide by this promise. It is a word frequently used on the way of tasawwuf. It is the sunnat of the Sahâba to use this. There are three kinds of bî'at. The first one is to promise before a great superior not to commit sins. This is called **bî'at of tawba**. When one grave sin is committed, this bî'at is broken, and a new bî'at is necessary. It has been doubted (by savants) on whether or not it is broken by backbiting. It is certainly a grave sin to backbite by abhorring, slandering a Muslim. It is not backbiting to let Muslims know and hear about those men of dîn who talk and write wrong and those men of tasawwuf who hold a belief which is bid'at. It is necessary to speak against them so that Muslims will not be deceived by them.

The second kind of bî'at is to join, to do bî'at with a Walî or with his real members in order to get barakat. Thus, one gets blessed with the glad tidings they have been given, and with their intercession. For example, Ghawth-uth-thaqalayn Abdul-qâdir-i Geylânî said, "My murîds do not die without doing tawba." [Tawba means to repent for one's sins and to beg for Allah's forgiveness.] In order to attain this glad tidings one must do bî'at with one of the great superiors of this path. It is not necessary to repeat this bî'at.

The third kind of bî'at is done in order to be blessed with the fayd of the Awliyâ and to get benefits from them. If a person does bî'at to one of the superiors of tasawwuf, carries out the duties, the dhikrs, the grades of ikhlâs prescribed by him, and yet cannot get benefits, it is permissible for him to join another path of tarîqat and to do bî'at with another murshid whether his former murshid consents to it or not. But he must not deny the former murshid. This means that he does not have an allotted share from him. If he sees that his murshid is slack in following the Sharî'at and the tarîqat or finds out that he tries to ingratiate himself with the rich or that he is fond of the world, he must look for Allah's fayd, love and ma'rifat in another murshid. If one, as a child, did bî'at with a murshid and finds out that he is a true murshid after reaching the age of puberty, he goes on with his bî'at and duties, or he does bî'at to another murshid whom he likes.

A **murshid** is a person who obeys, holds fast to the Sunnat (the Sharî'at) of Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam', who avoids bid'ats whether they are zâhir or bâtin, and who holds the belief of the Salaf-i sâlihîn. He has the same correct belief as that of Ghawth-uth-thaqalayn Abdulqâdir-i Geylânî and Shaikh-ul-Islâm Farîdaddîn-i Ganj-i Shakar. He knows the knowledge of fiqh as much as is indispensably necessary. He frequently reads the hadîth book titled **Mishkât-i sherîf** and tafsîrs of the Qur'ân. He reads the books of morals written by men of tasawwuf, such as the books **Minhâj-ul-'âbidin** and **Kimyâ-i sa'âdat** by Hadrat Imâm-i Ghazâlî, and other books describing the states and words of great men of tasawwuf. Reading these books is very useful in purifying and tranquillizing the heart. A murshid-i kâmil is not fond of the world, nor does he stay with those who are fond of the world. He likes loneliness. He does the good deeds that are taught by the Sharî'at and which he has learned from his murshids. He expects only from Allâhu ta'âlâ his labor's reward in this world and the next. He does not expect anything from anybody other than Him. He reads the Qur'ân very often. He has received a share from the fayds and ma'rifats coming to the hearts of those who perform dhikr very much. In everything he does he chooses the way of tawba, inâbat (to avoid sinning), zuhd (to cease from what is worldly), wara', taqwâ, patience, contentment, tawakkul and Allah's consent. Those who see him remember Allâhu ta'âlâ. Worldly thoughts escape from their heart. A devoted person who stays with a murshid of the tarîqat of **Chashtiyya** feels pleasure, enthusiasm, fervour, ease and loneliness, that is, desire to keep away from those who are fond of the world. Staying with a murshid of **Qâdirî** gives the heart safâ (freedom of anxiety), an attachment with the world of souls and angels, and the heart is informed of a lot of past and future events. A person who stays with a murshid of the tarîqat of **Naqshibandî** is blessed with ease, togetherness, yâd-i dâsht, unawareness of the world, and the jadhbas (attractions) of Allâhu ta'âlâ. His heart and soul are blessed with many things. If the murshid is **Mujaddidî,** all his latîfas are blessed with kayfiyyats, hâls, safâ, latâfats, nûrs and mysteries. If these do not happen, the faithful devotee will be quite right however much sorry he becomes for not having found a true murshid.

**Murîd** means a faithful devotee. He burns with the love of Allah, with the desire to attain His love. He is bewildered with a love which he does not know, which he does not understand. He cannot get to sleep, nor can he stop his tears. Ashamed of his past sins, he cannot lift up his face. In everything he does he trembles with the fear of Allah. He struggles to do the deeds that will make him attain the love of Allah. He is patient, forgiving in everything he does. In every incompatibility and trouble he finds the fault in himself. He thinks of his Allah in every breath he takes. He does not live in unawareness. He does not quarrel with anybody. He is afraid of hurting a heart. He deems hearts to be homes of Allâhu ta'âlâ. He bears a good opinion about all the Sahâba and says, "Allâhu ta'âlâ loves them all," about them. He says that they are all good. [Now, such a real murîd is not present.] Our Prophet commanded us not to talk about the events that happened among the Sahâba. A murîd does not talk, write or read about them. Thus, he protects himself from doing any irreverence against those great people. Loving those great people is a sign of loving Allah's Messenger. A murîd does not differentiate between the Sahâba with his own point of view by saying that so and so is superior to so and so. Who is superior or higher is understood from âyats, hadîths and the unanimous declaration of the Sahâba. Yet certainly, the intoxication caused by love is an exception. A lover is excusable.

**Simâ'** means to listen to the poems, qasîdas, ilâhîs, mawlîds that are recited by one or more people and which strengthen the faith and îmân and beautify morals. The superiors of tasawwuf did simâ' and listened to those that were recited without musical instruments and without men and women being together. No musical instrument was ever seen in the sohbats, gatherings of the Sultân-i Mashâyikh [Nizâmuddîn-i Dahlawî]. Those who were in those sohbats would weep inwardly and would be greatly grieved. The books **Fawâid-ul-fuâd** and **Siyar-ul-Awliyâ** inform of this fact in detail. Deviating from the path of the superiors of tasawwuf darkens the heart. Those superiors permitted simâ' in order to turn the heart's constipation into relief and to increase the state of relief. They said that simâ' would increase tenderness, love of Allah in the heart. Simâ' is not permissible for the unaware, that is, for those who have no love of Allah in their hearts. Such gatherings of simâ' become sinful gatherings. Every Muslim should avoid such meetings of simâ'. Some men of tasawwuf said that such musical instruments as reeds were permissible, yet they said so during an intoxication of love. Such words, which the Sharî'at has prohibited, must not be followed. [See page 174 of the book **Merâq-il-falâh,** an annotation to the book Tahtâwî].

They said that **dhikr-i jahrî,** that is, to perform the dhikr aloud, was medicine for heart illness. But **dhikr-i hafî,** that is, to do dhikr silently, is more useful. It is stated in a hadîth that it is better to do dhikr silently. Doing dhikr aloud may be permissible to increase the heart's fervour and to remove slackness. Doing dhikr very much and suffering riyâdât will increase the love of Allah in the heart and cause the mysteries of wahdat-i wujûd to occur. **Wahdat-i wujûd** means to see the creatures as one being. It does not mean to deem the creatures as Allâhu ta'âlâ. It is not compatible with the Sharî'at, nor is it reasonable to speak so out of one's own opinion and imagination and to represent oneself as a man of wahdat-i wujûd by hearing the words about wahdat-i wujûd of those who experience this mysterious state called hâl, which is formed in the heart by love of Allah. Rukn-ud-dîn Alâuddawla-i Samnânî and Mujaddid-i Alf-i Thânî Ahmad Fârûqî 'rahmatullâhi alaihimâ' and those superiors who followed them have seen and found out the fact that besides the ma'rifat of wahdat-i wujûd there is another kind of ma'rifat which came into being in all prophets 'alaihimussalawâtu wassalâm'.

**Being a dervish** means being with Allâhu ta'âlâ, forming good habits and obeying the Sharî'at. It is dispelling all things other than Allâhu ta'âlâ from the heart and adapting all one's limbs to Hadrat Muhammad Mustafâ 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. Being with Allâhu ta'âlâ is called **hudûr** , which is the grade of **ihsân** informed of in the hadîth. A dervish's heart must be in this grade. Any person who is given this lot must deem it as a great blessing!

**Tawhîd-i af'âlî** means to see all the deeds and actions of creatures to be of the deeds of One Single Maker.

**Tawhîd-i sifâtî** means to know the attributes, the properties of creatures as the appearances of Allah's attributes, and to see every being as annihilated in Allah's being. The blessed Awliyâ have always been so.

**Ijâzat** and **khilâfat** means to give permission to a mature person so that he will place dhikr into the hearts of tâlibs (seekers). The exalted person who has been given the permission is called **khalîfa** or **murshid.** The bâtin [that is, the heart and other four latîfas] of the exalted person who is given the permission must have attained the nisbat (closeness to Allâhu ta'âlâ) and hâls, and he must have been purified of bad habits and embellished with good habits, and he must have patience, tawakkul, contentment and resignation, and must not be fond of the world. This high grade can be obtained only by following the **Salaf-i sâlihîn.** It is harâm to permit him to recommend dhikr unless these hâls and kayfiyyats are formed in his heart. It means to sabotage the path of the superiors of tasawwuf. It is both unreasonable and incompatible with the Sharî'at to make someone arrogant [to cause him to be self-deluded], to deprive a tâlib, a lover, by causing him to be seized by incompetent hands. [Today, there is no tarîqa, murshid, murîd or shaikh in Turkey. One should not believe anyone who says that there is one or that he himself is a shaikh. One should be vigilant in order not to fall in the trap of false murshids or of ignorant men of tarîqa.] May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless you and this old man who has wasted all his life on unnecessary, useless things, with His own love and with the love of His beloved Messenger, Muhammad 'alaihissalâm'! May He burn our hearts with the fervent desire of attaining to Him!

We have been ordered by Allah's Prophet to perform namâz in jamâ'at, to perform it with **tumânînat** , to fulfil **qawma** after the rukû' (bowing position during namâz) and **jalsa** between the two sajdas (prostrations). There are savants who say that qawma and jalsa are fard. **Qâdihân,** one of the muftîs of the Hanafî Madhhab, has informed that these two are wâjib, that **sajda-i sahw** is wâjib when one forgets one of the two, that he who omits them on purpose has to perform the namâz again. Also, those who said that they were sunnat-i mu'akkada said that they were the sunnats that were close to wâjib. It is disbelief to neglect the sunnat by slighting it, deeming it unimportant. Various different kayfiyyats and hâls are enyojed during the qiyâm (standing position), the rukû', the qawma, the jalsa, the sajdas, and the sitting positions in namâz. All kinds of worship have been accumulated in namâz. Reading the Qur'ân, saying subhânallah [which means, "I deem Allah far from any defects whatsoever,"] saying salawât for Rasûlullah's soul, saying the prayer of istighfâr (begging Allah for His forgiveness) for one's sins, and asking for what one needs only from Allâhu ta'âlâ and praying to Him only have all been accumulated in namâz. Trees, plants stand upright like standing in namâz. Animals represent the position of rukû', and the lifeless, spread out on the ground, represent the **qa'da,** sitting posture, in namâz. He who performs namâz does all these kinds of worship done by them. Performing namâz became fard on the night of Mi'râj. A Muslim who performs namâz with the intention of following Allah's beloved Prophet, who was honoured with Mi'râj at that night, gets exalted to high grades like the exalted Prophet. Those who perform namâz in serenity, having the adab due towards Allâhu ta'âlâ and His Messenger, realize that they have gone up to these grades. Having mercy upon this Ummat Allâhu ta'âlâ and His Prophet bestowed a great blessing upon them, and made it fard for them to perform namâz. Hamd and thanks be to our Allah for this! We send our salawât, tahiyyât (regards) and prayers to His beloved Prophet! The ease and serenity enjoyed when performing namâz is something transcendental. My murshid [Hadrat Mazhar-i Jânân] said, "Though it is impossible to see Allâhu ta'âlâ as one performs namâz, some hâl is felt like seeing." The great superiors of tasawwuf have said unanimously that this hâl does happen. In the beginning of Islam namâz used to be performed towards Quds (Jerusalem). When the Muslims were commanded to give up performing it towards the Bayt-ul-muqaddas and to turn towards the qibla of Hadrat Ibrâhîm, the Jews became mad and said derisively, "What will become of your prayers which you have performed towards the Bayt-ul-maqaddas?" The hundred and forty-third âyat was revealed to declare: **"Allâhu ta'âlâ will not lose your îmân!"** So it was informed that namâz would not be left without rewards. Namâz was described with the word "îmân." This means that not to perform namâz suitably with the Sunnat is to lose îmân. Our Master, Rasûlullah, stated, **"The light and the flavour of my eyes are in namâz."** This hadîth means, "Allâhu ta'âlâ manifests and is perceived in namâz. Thus, my eyes feel comfortable." Another hadîth stated, "O Bilâl! Soothe me!" which means, "O Bilâl, give me relief by reciting the adhân and saying the iqâmat of namâz." A person who looks for relief in anything other than namâz is not a good one. He who wastes, misses namâz will lose other Islamic deeds all the more.

Talking nonsense and backbiting Muslims remove the thawâb earned by fasting. Backbiting does away with the thawâb of worships. It is wâjib to avoid backbiting. What an idiocy it is to take pains and undergo difficulties worshipping and then destroy its thawâb. Worship is offered to Allâhu ta'âlâ. To present backbiting and talking nonsense to one's Owner is impertinence against Him.

It is incompatible with being Muslim to listen to songs, musical instruments, to watch dances or to narrate and write the martyrdoms of Hadrat Hasan and Hadrat Husain 'radiyallâhu anhumâ' [the event of Kerbelâ]. The shaikhs of our time have turned the tarîqat into doing these things. Drawing pictures of religious leaders, they visit them. "Visiting them makes one attain Allah's love," they say. Such things do not exist in Islam. It is a slander to give the names of the great to the pictures drawn or painted without seeing them. May Allâhu ta'âlâ bless these people with the lot of repenting! Sayyid Ismâ'îl Bey, one of the great savants of the blessed city of Medina and an expert in the knowledge of hadîth, came from the blessed city of Medîna all the way to India to see this faqîr, in order to get blessed with tarîqat-i mujaddidiyya. I sent this exalted person to the grand masjîd [to the mosque of Shâh Jihân in Delhi, which is the biggest mosque in Asia] so that he could visit **the Âsâr-i sherîf** [the sacred relics]. Coming back after a very short while, he said, "The nûrs of Rasûlullah exist there, but one can also feel the zulmat of idols." I inquired of the men in charge of the mosque. I learned that a chest in the room contained pictures with the names of the great. Thus, I found out that Sayyid Ismâ'îl Bey had been affected by these pictures. When Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' was shown a picture of Hadrat Ibrâhîm, he tore the picture up with his blessed hands. This fact is communicated in the hundred and sixth âyat of **Yûsuf Sûra,"Most of them say that they have îmân in Allâhu ta'âlâ. But they have no îmân. They have become polytheists by worshipping other things."** Every kind of playing, such as cock-fight and playing with pigeons, is harâm. To dress a piece of stone [into the shape of a foot], to name it **Qadam-i sherîf,** and to say that it is the Prophet's footprint, is like worshipping pictures and idols.

To celebrate the day of Nawruz [the Persian new year's day, 22 March; and Christmas night] as Magians do is to become like disbelievers. When men of tarîqat and the shaikhs do these abominable deeds they will be bad examples and proofs for their murîds, who will be seized by this disastrous current. Being murshid and murîd is only by taqwâ, by avoiding polytheism and harâms. The formation of hâls in the heart, the kashf and the manifestation of some [unknown] things, and the performing of some astounding acts beyond the limits of scientific knowledge can be done by disbelievers, too. Suffering riyâdât, doing certain things as if they were worships, turning it into a profession to write amulets, to cure the sick and the spell-bound by breathing on them are not deeds prescribed by the dîn. They are done in order to attract the ignorant and the stupid and to earn what is worldly. These have no value or importance in Islam. The only thing that is valuable and important in Islam and which takes man closer to Allâhu ta'âlâ is to obey and follow His Messenger, Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam'. This is the way of the Sahâba and the Ahl-i Bayt-i izâm. The Qur'ân is sent in order to guide on this way. May Allâhu ta'âlâ keep us all in the true way of His beloved Prophet, of the Sahâba and the Ahl-i Bayt-i izâm! Âmîn.

[It is written on the 481st page of the fifth volume of **Durr-ul-mukhtâr,** "It is harâm to give presents on the days of Nawruz and Mihrgân while mentioning their names. It is kufr (disbelief) to give presents deeming those days as feast days. A person who gives an egg to a disbeliever out of reverence to those days becomes a disbeliever. So is the case with buying something on those days. If he buys what he buys everyday, he will not become a disbeliever." It is written in the fatwâ of **Bezzâziyya,** "The Nawruz day is the Magians' day of feast. It is kufr to join Magians and to imitate them on that day. If a Muslim celebrates that day, he will lose his îmân without even noticing it." It is inferred from this fatwâ that a person who imitates disbelievers' festivals and feasts on Christmas day or night or on their Easter or other feast days, will become a disbeliever.

It is written in the explanation of the forty-fourth âyat of Mâida Sûra in Tafsîr-i Mazharî, "A hadîth-i sherîf states, **'I am ahead of all others in doing as Îsâ 'aleihissalâm' did. Prophets** 'alaihimussalâm' **are like brothers of the same father. They have different mothers. Their faith is the same.** ' Following this hadîth, Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa 'rahmatullâhi alaih' said that it is wâjib for us to practise those rules of previous Sharî'ats that have not been changed by Muhammad 'alaihissalâm'. In other words, we are to practise those rules that have been stated by âyats and hadîths to have existed in past Sharî'ats and which have not been stated to have been changed." Our savants of fiqh found out and determined all such rules which we have to practise. It is not permissible for us to practise any worship of the Ahl-i kitâb (People of the Book), except those that have been permitted by the savants of fiqh. For, most of the worships Jews and Christians do now have been made up afterwards by them. It will be kufr or harâm or makrûh for us to practise them. We must learn what is right and what is wrong from books of fiqh! Further, Hadrat Imâm-i Shâfi'î said that none of the previous Sharî'ats' rules can be documents for us.]

On pages 115 and 202, the annotation book **Birgivî Vasiyyetnâmesi** says, "It will be kufr (disbelief) to wrap round the waist a rope girdle that is called zunnar and which is worn by priests; to worship the cross, that is, two lines intersecting each other making right angles, and to worship statues; to show reverence to the cross and statues; to insult any book which teaches the Sharî'at; to make fun of any Islamic scholar; to utter or write a word which causes disbelief; to insult what we have been ordered to show reverence to, and to show reverence to what we have been ordered to despise. If one does any of them one's îmân (faith) will leave one and one will be a disbeliever. But, in case of committing a grave sin, one does not lose one's îmân; one never becomes a disbeliever on condition that one will admit that what one has committed is an evil deed; one will repent for and be sorry about it; and one will be ashamed before Allâhu ta'âlâ. If one with a true belief commits a grave sin which is not a sign of infidelity, one will not become a disbeliever. If one repents for the sin and prays to Allâhu ta'âlâ for forgiveness, one will be forgiven. In case of passing away without repentance, He will forgive one if He wishes. Yet, if He (Allâhu ta'âlâ) wishes, the sinner will be tortured as much as his sins, then he will be put into Paradise. But a holder of bid'at and a disbeliever dying without îmân will never be forgiven in the Hereafter; they will certainly be burned in Hell. A disbeliever will never be taken out of Hell, but the holder of bid'at will."]

Our Master, the Prophet 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam', informed that a person without îmân will burn eternally in the fire of Hell. This information is definitely true. Believing this is as essential as believing in the fact that Allâhu ta'âlâ exists and is One. What does it mean to burn eternally in a fire? Imagining being burned eternally in a fire could drive anyone mad with fear. And he would look for a way to secure himself against this horrifying disaster. The way to do this, in its turn, is very simple. What will secure one against this everlasting disaster is merely "to believe that Allâhu ta'âlâ exists and is One, that Muhammad 'alaihis-salâm' is His final Messenger, and that all the facts he has informed of are true." If a person says that he does not believe in the threat of burning eternally, that he does not fear such a disaster, that he is not looking for a way to escape that disaster, our challenge is: "Do you have an evidence, a document to base your disbelief on? What knowledge or science keeps you from believing?" Certainly, he will not be able to adduce an evidence. Can a statement not based on documentary facts be said to be knowledge or science? It may be called a supposition or assumption. Would it not be necessary to secure oneself against the horrendous calamity of "burning in everlasting fire" even if it were one to a billion probability? Wouldn't a judicious person avoid such a misadventure? Wouldn't he look for safety precautions against the possible danger of burning eternally in fire? As it is seen, îmân is the only choice for any person who has wisdom. Having îmân does not require enduring hardships such as paying taxes, donating property, carrying loads, putting up with the onerous duty of worshipping and the deprivation of abstaining from pleasant, sweet tastes. A heartfelt, devoted, sincere belief will do. Nor is it necessary to inform unbelievers about one's belief. Imâm-i-Rabbânî 'rahimahullâhu ta'âlâ' states in his seventy-third letter, "Even if a person does not believe in the fact that there will be eternal burning (for unbelievers), he should at least surmise for prudence' sake." Supposing timeless burning in a fire were a mere possibility, would it not be idiocy, a very grave eccentricity to refrain from the blessing of **ÎMÂN** , which is its only and definite remedy?]

59 - THIRD VOLUME, 41st LETTER

This letter, written to a pious lady, gives advice necessary for women:

The sûra of **Mumtahina** contains an âyat that was revealed when the blessed city of Mekka was conquered and which informs of the fact that there are promises that women made to the Messenger of Allah. After the covenant with men, our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' made a covenant with women. But with women it was only through words, and his blessed hand did not touch the women's hands. Because women are more inclined than men to atrocities, more restrictions were imposed during the covenant with women. They were told that having done Allah's commands required observing these restrictions.

**First restriction:** not to worship anything besides Allâhu ta'âlâ. If a person worships so that others will see him or if he worships Allâhu ta'âlâ but likes it also when others see him or if, when worshipping, he expects a reward such as the expression "Well done" from others, this person has not gotten rid of shirk (polytheism) and cannot be a true muwahhid. Our Prophet stated, **"Protect yourselves against small shirk!"** When he was asked, "What is small shirk?" "Riyâ," he stated, that is, to worship in order to show yourself to others.

It is also shirk to imitate disbelievers during their festivals. A person who practices both Islam and the worship of disbelievers is a mushrik (polytheist). He who likes disbelief is also a **mushrik.** For being a Muslim it is necessary to avoid disbelief. For being a Believer it is a must to secure oneself against shirk.

It is shirk[] to expect help from idols, statues and priests to get rid of an illness, a widespread practice among Muslims. It is disbelief to ask for what one needs from idols and statues. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the fifty-ninth âyat of **Nisâ Sûra, "Though I told them not to believe the disbelievers, they have been acting upon the disbelievers' words. Shaytân has been deceiving them."** Most women, not knowing the fact, catch this pestilence. Expecting help from some names of no meaning, they try to get rid of problems through them. They practise the customs of disbelievers and the signs of disbelief. Especially in cases of small-pox, this nuisance is seen on good ones as well as on bad ones. There are very few women who can escape this nuisance and who do not do any of the signs of disbelief. It is shirk to respect the festival days of Hindus [and the Christmas nights and Easter days of Christians] and to imitate their customs on those days. It causes disbelief. On festival days of disbelievers the ignorant ones of Muslims, especially the women, do as disbelievers do, think of those days to be Muslims' festivals and send presents to one another like disbelievers on those days; they ornament their furniture and meal tables like disbelievers. They distinguish those nights from other nights. All these are shirk, disbelief. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the sûra of **Yûsuf, "Most of those who say that they have believed the existence and the oneness of Allâhu ta'âlâ and that He is the Creator of everything and that they have become Muslims, have become polytheists by worshipping and obeying others and by many other actions and utterances."** [Please see the beginning of the seventeenth chapter in the fifth fascicle of **Endless Bliss**.]

They vow sacrificials to shaikhs, to tombs. Then they take [the animals they have vowed] to the graves and kill them near the graves. Books of fiqh count this to be shirk. Some people even go further and say that such sacrifices become the sacrifices of genies. Our dîn forbids this and counts this as shirk. There are various ways of vowing. What is the use of vowing to sacrifice an animal, killing it and then saying that it has become the sacrifice of genies, thus becoming like those who worship genies? [See the fifth chapter of the fifth fascicle of **Endless Bliss** , and the Arabic book **Hayât-ul-Haywân** by Abdullah Damîrî!]

The case is the same with their fasting for shaikhs. Concocting some names, they make their niyyat (intention) on them; at the times of iftâr, they make it a condition to have a special meal and fix a definite day [for each fast]. They think that their problems are solved owing to such fasts. This is shirk in worships, and means to worship someone else for the solution of one's problems. We must realize how loathsome this situation is. Ahadîth-i qudsî purports, **"Fasting is performed for Me. I shall give its reward,"** which means, "One fasts only for Me. None can be My partner in fasting." It is not permissible to attribute a partner to Allâhu ta'âlâ in any worship, yet He has declared this only about fasting in order to emphasize the fact that we should be extra careful not to commit shirk in this. Some women deceitfully say that they fast for Allâhu ta'âlâ and present the thawâb for fasting to their shaikhs. If their word is true, why do they fix a certain day for their fasting, eat certain food at iftâr and practice detestable acts at the time of iftâr? Most of them commit harâm at iftâr. In order to fulfil these conditions they even commit beggary and believe that their problems are solved owing to these harâms. All these are heresy, Satan's tricks.

[In explaining the **zabâyih** , it is written towards the end of **Radd ul-muhtâr,** "It is harâm to sacrifice an animal for the arrival of state authorities and rank occupiers. For, it is shirk to sacrifice an animal for anybody besides Allâhu ta'âlâ. It is harâm even if one mentions the name of Allah while killing the animal. But it is not harâm if one kills it in order to give food to a visitor. For, it is the sunnat of Hadrat Ibrâhîm to give a feast to visitors. It brings thawâb (blessings) to entertain one's guest. It is written in the fatwâ book of **Bezzâziyya** that it is wrong to say, 'To kill in order to give good food to a man means to kill for someone other than Allâhu ta'âlâ, which is not halâl.' Saying so is unreasonable and incompatible with the Qur'ân and hadîths. For example, a butcher kills [animals] in order to earn money. None has said harâm about the meat in a butcher's shop. If an animal killed for earning money were dirty, no butcher would kill animals. The ignorant person who says so should not buy meat from the butcher's or eat the meat of an animal killed (at some occasions such as) wedding parties or (supererogatory worships such as) aqîqa.

"If one offers the meat of the animal which one has killed for a visitor to the visitor, that is, if the visitor eats the meat, one has killed it for Allah and its use has been for the visitor. Also, what the butcher kills is for Allah's sake. And its use and earning are for the butcher. If one does not give the meat to the guest but gives it all to others, one has killed it for someone other than Allâhu ta'âlâ, which is harâm. As it is seen, whether an animal is killed for someone other than Allâhu ta'âlâ in order to respect him or for Allah's sake is judged by whether or not the meat is given to the person to eat for whom the animal is killed. Hence , it is understood that it is halâl to kill an animal when laying a foundation, when one becomes sick or when a sick person recovers. For, the meat is given to the poor to eat. Likewise says Hamawî. It is written in the book **Bahr-ur-râiq** that the case is the same with offering a sacrifice to Allâhu ta'âlâ for the fulfilment of one's wish. But the meat must be given to the poor only. What is important is whether or not the visitor for whom the animal has been killed has been offered to eat from the meat. It is not important whether the meat is given entirely to him or to someone else. Others can be given meat from the animal from which he has eaten. Also, the person who has killed the animal can get a share from it. This is not important. Whether or not we must let him eat from the meat is dependent upon the intention when killing the animal. If we have not intended to respect him when killing the animal, it does not cause a harâm not to give him from the meat and to give him something else to eat instead. For, when killing the animal we have intended to let him eat from the meat. Hence, it is understood that when killing an animal for the arrival of a government official, if we intend to respect and honour him it is not halâl even if we give him meat from it to eat. If, as we kill the animal, we intend to offer him meat from it to eat, it is halâl even if we do not give him meat from it but give him something else to eat.

"When it is harâm to kill it, is it disbelief also, or not? It is written in **Bezzâziyya** that both the opinions are valid [among savants]. Since intention is something secret we must not think ill of a Muslim; we must not stigmatize him with disbelief in discordant matters. A Muslim cannot be thought of as worshipping a person in order to approach him or to ingratiate himself with him. His killing the animal is intended to show his sympathy for him. By expressing his sympathy, he wants to approach him and get some worldly advantages. When killing for Allah's sake, it is harâm to intend also to show reverence to a man, yet it cannot be said to be disbelief. Harâm and disbelief are quite far apart from each other."]

**The second condition on which women were made to promise** is not to steal. Stealing is one of the grave sins. Most women have been seized by this sin. Very few women have escaped the subtle particulars of stealing. For this reason, it became the second condition to avoid stealing. Those women who spend their husbands' possessions without their husbands' permission become thieves. Thus, they commit a grave sin. Almost all women have this habit. This unfaithfulness exists in all of them. Only a very few women protected by Allâhu ta'âlâ have escaped this. I wish they knew this was theft and sinful. Most of them deem this halâl. It is feared greatly that those who deem it halâl become disbelievers. After prohibiting them from shirk, Allâhu ta'âlâ prohibited women from theft. For, most of them become disbelievers because they deem this halâl. Therefore, this sin has become graver for women than other sins. Because such women get used to unfaithfulness by taking away their husbands' possessions, the loathing of using others' possessions will leave their hearts. It will come slight to them to use others' possessions without their permission. Without hesitation, they will unfaithfully steal others' possessions. If we think well, we will realize that this is so. Then, it is very important in Islam to prohibit women from stealing. This has become the second ugliest thing for them after shirk. [In order to rescue his faithful wife from this grave sin, a Believer must give her permission in advance to spend his possessions as she likes.]

**Addition:** One day, asking his Sahâba, our Prophet 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"Do you know who the biggest thief is?"** "Allah and his Prophet know better," they replied. Upon this he stated, **"The biggest thief is the one who steals from his own namâz, because he does not carry out the rules of namâz precisely!"** One must avoid this theft, too, thus securing oneself against becoming a big thief. One must intend to perform namâz without having anything in one's heart. If the intention is not correct the worship will not be accepted. One must recite the qirâat correctly, do the rukû', the sajdas, the qawma and jalsa in due itmînân. In other words, after the rukû' one must stand upright and remain so as long as the duration in which one could say, "Subhânallah," and must sit upright and remain so as long as the same duration between the two sajdas. Thus, itmînân [tumânînat] will be fulfilled in the qawma and jalsa. Those who do not do so become thieves and will be tormented bitterly.

[Ibni Âbidîn writes at the end of the subject of **Luqâta** that Ibni Hajar and Nawawî and others say that to find something lost it is necessary to recite the prayer, "Yâ jâmi'annâsi li-yawmin lâ rayba fîhi innallâha lâ yukhlif-ul mî-âd ijma' baynî wa bayna...," in which the name of the thing lost is inserted in place of the dots. It is written in **Fatâwâ-i qâri-ul-hidâya,** "A person who has a wish must perform an ablution before going to bed, sit on a clean cloth, say a salawât three times, then recite the sûra of **Fâtiha** ten times saying the **Basmala** before each; then recite the sûra of **Ikhlâs** eleven times, and then, with his face towards the qibla and his right hand under his right cheek, lie down on his right side and go to sleep. With the permission of Allâhu ta'âlâ, he will dream of how his wish will come true." As it is written at the end of **Bostân-ul-'ârifîn,** Ibn 'Umar said that a person who has lost something shall perform two rak'ats of namâz and, after saying the salâm of namâz, recite the prayer, "Allahumma yâ Hâdî wa yâ Râddaddâllati, ardid 'alayya dâllatî bi-izzatika was sultânika ainnahâ min fadlika wa 'atâika."]

**The third condition women were asked to fulfil** is not to commit fornication. Asking for this condition only from women is because the committing of this sin depends mostly on their consent and because they show [surrender] themselves to men. They are the first cause of this sin. Their consent is valid in this evil deed. Therefore, it became necessary to prohibit women more emphatically from this sin. For this reason, in the Qur'ân al-kerîm Allâhu ta'âlâ has mentioned women before men in respect of this sin and has declared: **"Flog the woman and the man a hundred strokes!"** This sin harms man both in this world and the next and has become ugly and prohibited in all dîns. Our Prophetstated, **"Fornication has three harms in the world. Firstly, it removes beauty and brightness. Secondly, it causes poverty. Thirdly, it causes one's life to become shorter. As for its three harms in the next world, firstly, it incurs Allah's wrath. Secondly, it causes the questioning and accounting** (on Judgement Day) **to be bad. Thirdly, it causes torment in the Hell-fire."** Another hadîth states, **"Looking at nâ-mahram women is fornication of the eyes. Touching them is fornication of hands. And going to them is fornication of the feet."** Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the sûra of **Nûr** in the Qur'ân: **"Tell the Believers not to look at nâ-mahram women and not to commit fornication! And tell Muslim women not to look at nâ-mahram men and not to commit fornication!"** The heart is dependent on the eyes. If the eyes do not avoid harâms, it will be difficult to protect the heart. If the heart dives into the harâms, it will be difficult to avoid fornication. Then, those who have îmân, those who fear Allâhu ta'âlâ, must not look at the harâms. Only by this way can one protect oneself and thus escape dangers in this world and the next. Allâhu ta'âlâ prohibits in the Qur'ân women and girls to talk politely and with a soft voice to nâ-mahram men and to bring evil thoughts to the hearts of evil men by doing so, and commands them to talk in such a way as not to cause such things. He prohibits women to adorn themselves for nâ-mahram men. He commands them to walk slowly, silently lest the noise of their bracelets will be heard. That is, everything causing sins and evil is a sin. Then it is necessary to refrain from things that cause sins and harâms. Only by this way will it be possible to escape the harâms.

**Sapphism** , that is, women's looking at other women or touching them lustfully, is harâm like the looking or touching of nâ-mahram men. It is not permissible for women who fear Allâhu ta'âlâ to adorn themselves for the nâ-mahram, no matter who they are, whether they are men or women. As pederasty, that is, looking at or touching boys lustfully, is harâm for men, so lesbianism is harâm for women, that is, looking at or touching other women lustfully. To escape perdition in this world and the next, it is necessary to observe these subtleties well. Men and women being of opposite sexes, it is difficult for them to come together. But it is easy for a woman to approach another woman. For this reason, a woman should be prohibited more emphatically from looking at or touching another woman than from looking at a man.

[It is written in the Turkish book **Gayr-i tabî'î aşklar** (Unnatural Lovers) published in 1343 (1925) by Doctor Fahreddîn Kerîm, that pederasty was common among the Romans and ancient Greeks.]

The fourth condition women were asked to fulfil is not to kill their children. At that time women, with fear of poverty, used to kill their daughters. This abominable action both means to have no pity on and to kill someone and is not to recognize the rights of children, both of which are grave sins. [So is abortion. It is written on the two hundred and seventy-sixth page of the fifth volume of **Radd ul-muhtâr,** "Abortion without any excuse is harâm no matter for what reason. In case there is an excuse which may cause the death of the mother or of another suckling, it is permissible if the limbs have not been formed yet. Harmless medicines which can take effect within a few days are sold on prescription in drugstores, including those kinds that can be injected intradermally or intramuscularly. It has been said that the limbs are formed after a hundred and twenty days." It is harâm to have or cause the abortion of a living foetus. To prevent the child's formation, it is permissible to take precautions in advance, for instance, to use condoms. The fear of being unable to sustain and feed the child because of poverty cannot be a valid reason for an abortion. Fear of being unable to give the child information about the dîn or to educate it with Islamic teachings because it is prohibited by enemies of Islam can be an excuse. As written at the end of **Bostân-ul-'ârifîn** , to give birth to a child in comfort and ease, Ibn 'Abbâs said, "The prayer, 'Bismillâhilladhî lâ ilâha illâ huw al-halîm-ul-Karîm. Subhâna Rabbil 'Arsh-il-'azîm Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil 'âlamîn,' then the last âyat of **Nâzi'ât Sûra** and, beginning with 'Ka-anna-hum', the last âyat of **Ahkâf Sûra** shall be written in Islamic letters on a dish or container, then water shall be put in it and, after the writing has dissolved, the mother shall drink it."

It is stated on the two hundred and forty-ninth (249) page of the fifth volume of Ibni Âbidîn, and also in the chapters dealing with kinds of mischief incurred by one's genitals: "It is permissible to castrate beasts for slaughter in order to fatten them. It is harâm to sterilize other animals or human beings."

**The fifth condition asked from women** is not to slander or calumniate. This sin being common mostly among women, it has been made a condition for them. Slandering is a grave and atrocious sin. It also includes lying, which is harâm in every dîn. Also, it includes hurting a Believer, which is harâm, too. In addition to these, slandering causes fitna, chaos on the earth, which is also harâm.

**The sixth condition** is to obey every command of our Prophet. This condition means to carry out all the fard and sunnat actions and to avoid all prohibitions, and informs of the five principles of Islam.

Namâz is one of the five principles of Islam. We should perform namâz five times each day willingly without feeling reluctance. We should willingly give the zakât of our property to people nominated (by Islam). Fasting in the holy month of Ramadân causes forgiveness of a year's sins. We must enjoy fasting. Our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"The past sins of a person who performs hajj will be pardoned."** Visiting the Ka'ba-i muazzama and performing hajj should be deemed as a great advantage. We should not neglect wara' and taqwâ. Our Prophet stated, **"Wara' is the pillar of our dîn."**

We must not have alcoholic drinks. Everything intoxicant is harâm like wine. We must also abstain from music, which is lawh and la'b, that is, something useless desired by the nafs and is harâm. A hadîth states, **"Music causes fornication."** Backbiting Muslims, talking from behind a Muslim in order to slander him or passing one Muslim's word on to another Muslim is a graver sin than music. [It is written in the book **Bahjat-ul-fatâwâ** that backbiting a zimmî is also harâm.] These actions must be avoided. Also, it is harâm to make fun of a Muslim and hurt his heart, and it must be avoided.

We must not believe in ill omen or that it has any effect. While giving an explanation to the thirty-seventh âyat of **Sûrat at-Tawba** in the Qur'ân al-kerîm, the book **Rûh-ul-bayân** says, "After Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' honored the earth with his presence there were no longer inauspicious days ahead of Muslims." We must not admit that a disease will certainly be caught by a healthy man. It will be caught if Allâhu ta'âlâ decrees and will not be caught if He does not wish it to be caught. Our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' stated, **"Islam does not include ill omen or that a disease will certainly infect a healthy man."** [Nevertheless, it is wâjib to keep away from dangerous things and doubtful places. We must take precautions not to catch a disease.] We must not believe fortunetellers or soothsayers. We must not ask them about unknown things. We must not think they know about the unknown. [It is written at the beginning of the book **Sharh-i aqâid,** "Man's knowing something is by means of his sense organs, by dependable information or by mind. There are five sense organs. There are two kinds of dependable information: tawâtur and prophetical information. **Tawâtur** is a report unanimously given by all the dependable people of every century. There are two kinds of mental understanding. Knowing something spontaneously without thinking is called **badîhî** (intuitive, self-evident). If it is known by thinking it is called **istidlâlî** (inferred). That everything is bigger than its own part is badîhî. Information which is acquired by calculation is istidlâlî. Information which is acquired by the sense organs and mind together is **tajrubî** (experimental)." As it is understood from all these, things that are not communicated by Islam, by calculations or by expriments are called **ghayb** (unknown). No one but Allâhu ta'âlâ and people informed by Him know the ghayb.]

We must not practise sorcery, nor have someone else practise it. It is harâm, the worst harâm, and it is closest to disbelief. We must be extra careful not to do the tiniest action which is close to sorcery. A hadîth states, **"A Muslim cannot practise sorcery. His sorcery will take effect not before his îmân -may Allah protect us- is gone."** Sorcery and îmân are sort of opposite of each other; when sorcery is practised îmân is gone.

[Imâm-i Nawawî said, "If a statement or action causing disbelief takes place when practising sorcery, it is disbelief. If there is no such statement or action it is a grave sin." Sorcery makes people sick. It causes discord and hatred. That is, it affects both the body and the soul. Sorcery affects women and children more. The effect of sorcery is not for certain. Like the effect of medicine, Allâhu ta'âlâ creates its effect if He wills. But if He does not will, He does not make it effective. A spell that is cast by disbelievers who have subjected themselves to hunger and other inconveniences and thus mortified their nafs to a state of unwillingness to commit harâm are effective. Therefore, priests in this group have been successful in removing spells, too. Today's priests, being fond of worldly pleasures and their nafses being unbridled, cannot cast or remove spells.

He who says and believes that a sorcerer does whatever he likes by sorcery and that sorcery is certainly effective becomes a disbeliever. We must say that sorcery can take effect if Allâhu ta'âlâ has predestined it. If a spell-bound person recites after the morning and late afternoon prayers for seven days and hangs and carries on his neck the âyats and the prayers on the hundred and eighty-seventh page of the second volume of **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya** , and also the **Âyat-i-hirz** , which is written at the end of the Arabic book **Tashîl-ul-manâfi'** , he will recover health. We must say the **Âyat-al-kursî,** the **Ikhlâs** and the **Mu'awwizatayn** and breathe onto some water. Then the spell-bound person must have three gulps from it and perform a ghusl with the remainder. He will recover health. The book **Ibni Âbidîn** in the section dealing with divorce because of illness, the book **Zarkânî** on its pages number 7-104, and (a passage) in the translation of **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya** say as follows: "Pulverize seven green leaves of the tree named sidr between two stones. Mix it with water. Recite the **Âyat-al-kursî,** **Ikhlâs** and the sûras **Qul-a'ûdhu** , then breathe onto that water. Drink three mouthfuls of it. Then, make a ghusl (have a bath) with that water," Sidr is the name of a wild cherry called lotus. In the letter number 96 of the book **Makâtîb-i-sherîfa** , it is said, "In order to attain what you need, perform two rak'ats of salât, and give its thawâb as a gift to the souls of those scholars in the line called Silsile-i aliyya, and then pray to Allâhu ta'âlâ to give what you need for the sake of them."

Mawlânâ Muhammad 'Uthmân Sâhib says at the end of the hundred and third page of his book **Fawâid-i 'Uthmâniyya** , "For getting rid of the disasters caused by witchery and sorcery, say the Salawât-i-sherîfa three times, the **Fâtiha** seven times, the **Âyat-al-kursî** seven times, the **Kâfirûn** seven times, the **Ikhâs-i sherîf** seven times, the **Falaq** seven times and the **Nâs** seven times and breathe them on you and on the sick person. Then, saying them once more, breathe them on the room and bed of the spell-bound person, on all the house including the garden. Inshâallâhu ta'âlâ, he will be saved from the spell. [You must not get any payment for this.] This is good for all other illnesses, too. In order that a barakat will come upon the field, give the 'ushr (zakât) of the crops, then write the names of the As'hâb-i kahf on four different pieces of paper and wrap them up separately and bury them separately at four different untrodden corners of the field. After the namâz of morning and night, if you mention the names of the **Silsila-i aliyye,** say the **Fâtiha-i sherîfa** and breathe it to their souls, any prayer which you do through them will be accepted; this has been experienced very often." And it is written on its hundred and forty-eighth page and in **Rûh-ul-bayân,** "It will also protect and give barakat to carry a piece of paper containing the names of the As'hâb-i kahf or to keep it in the home." Domitianus, or Docianus, one of the Roman Emperors, was a wicked, unjust idolator. He declared himself to be a god and was killed in 95. While he was in Ephesus (Tarsus), seven young men who would not renounce 'Îsa's 'alaihissalam' religion took refuge in a cave 15 km north-west of the town. They slept in it continuously for three hundred years. During the time of the Emperor Theodus, they woke and talked with Arius's disciples. They slept again. Theodus defeated idolatry, spread Nasrâniyyat and went to the cave and talked with the As'hâb-i kahf and attained their benedictions. He built a place for praying in front of the cave and passed away in 395. Ma'mûn, Khârûn Rashîd's son and the seventh Abbasid caliph, rests in his grave in Tarsus. The names of the As'hâb-i kahf were Yamlîhâ, Maksalînâ, Mislînâ, Marnûsh, Dabarnûsh, Shâzanûsh, Kafashtatayyûsh and their dog Qitmîr.

Evil eye is true. That is, illness caused by evil eye is true. When some people look at something and like it, the rays coming out from their eyes are harmful and cause damage to everything whether it is living or lifeless. This has many examples. Perhaps some day science will be able to find out these rays and their effects. When a person sees something he likes, he should say **"Mâshâ-Allah"** before expressing his admiration so that his looks should not give harm. Saying "Mâshâ-Allah" will avert the evil eye. It is written in **Fatâwâ-i hindiyya** that to cure a child who has been harmed by evil eye or who has been frightened, it is permissible to burn straws and fumigate him by turning them around him or to pour melted **wax** (or lead) into cold water over his head. In **Mawâhib** and **Madârij,** Abdullah bin Wahab Qurayshî, a Mâlikî savant who died in 197 (813), says, "According to Imâm-i Mâlik, it is makrûh to do ruqya with iron, with salt, by knotting two pieces of thread or with the seal of Sulaymân."

**Ruqya** means to say prayers and breathe on something or to carry on oneself. Doing ruqya with âyats and with the prayers coming down from Rasûlullah is called ta'wîz. **Ta'wîz** is permissible and gives use to the person who believes and trusts. As written in **Halebî** and in **Durr ul-mukhtâr,** at the end of the chapter about tahârat (cleanliness) [p. 119], after wrapping up the amulet containing ta'wîz with such waterproof things as tarpaulin and nylon, it is permissible for a junub to bear it or to go to the restroom with it on. It is called **afsûn** (incantation) to say a ruqya whose meaning is not known or which causes disbelief. Carrying this or other things called nazarlık (anything worn in order to avert the evil eye) on oneself is called **tamîma.** Those ruqyas made in order to cause affection and love are called **tiwala.** A hadîth, which exists on the two hundred and thirty-second and the two hundred and seventy-fifth pages of the fifth volume of **Radd ul-muhtâr** and which is also written in the books **Mawâhib** and **Madârij** , states, **"Tamîma and tiwala are shirk."** At the same place Ibni Abidîn informs that it is permissible to put bones or animal skulls in a field to avert the evil eye. A person who looks at the field will first see these things and then the field. Hence, it is understood that carrying such things as blue beads and others with this intention is not **tamîma;** so it is permissible. It is written in the Persian book **Madârij-un-nubuwwa** and on the hundred and seventy-ninth page of the second volume of **Mawâhib-i ladunniyya** that for curing a person harmed by evil eye it is certainly helpful to recite the **Âyat-al-kursî** , the **Fâtiha** , the **Mu'awwaza-tayn** and the end of **Nûn Sûra**. It is also useful to recite the prayers written in these two books and on page 200 of the book **Tas'hîl-ul-manâfi'**. The most valuable and the most useful prayer is the sûra of **Fâtiha**. It is written on the last page of **Tafsîr-i Mazharî,** "A hadîth written in Ibni Mâja and communicated by Hadrat Alî states, **'The best medicine is the Qur'ân.'** If it is recited and breathed on the ill person, he will feel better." If his death time has not come yet, he will recover health. If it is his death time, it will become easy for him to surrender his soul. For ridding sorrow, anxiety and annoyance, Rasûlullah used to say the prayer, **"Lâ ilâha illallâhul-'azîm-ul-halîm lâ ilâha illallâhu Rabb-ul-'Arsh-il-'azîm lâ ilâha illallâhu Rabb-us-samâwâti wa Rabb-ul-Ardi Rabb-ul-'Arsh-il-kerîm."** It has been communicated by Anas bin Mâlik that it is good for neuralgia and for all other sicknesses to say the prayer, " **Bismillâhirrahmânir-rahîm wa lâ-hawla wa lâ-quwwata illâ billâhil 'aliyyil 'azîm."** The prayer of a person who commits harâm and whose heart is unaware will not be accepted. The reciting (these prayers) by a person who does not have the belief of the Ahl as-sunnat will not be useful. Allâhu ta'âlâ creates everything through a means. One who wants to attain something should cling to its means. Praying, giving alms, and taking medicine are things created by Allâhu ta'âlâ as means to give health to His born slaves or to restore them to health. An âyat-i-kerîma or a prayer is written in a pot. Or it is written on a piece of paper, which is then put into the pot. Then it is filled with some water. When the writing is washed off and mixed with the water in the pot, one drinks some of it every day. Another way is to make an amulet of the paper and carry it on you. Another way is to read it and blow it on your both palms. Then you rub your palms gently on your body. Prayers or medicine will not lengthen one's lifetime. Nor will it save someone whose time of death has come. Since such things as lifetime and time of death are unknown to us, we should pray and use medicine. A person whose time of death has not come yet will regain his health and strength. One should expect the healing not from the medicine, but from Allâhu ta'âlâ. Muhammad Ma'thûm 'rahmatullâhi aleyh' states in **Mektûbât,** "It has been stated (by savants) that to attain your wish you should take permission and read the âyat-i-kerîma or the prayer (prescribed)." The person who gives the permission will have deputed you (by giving permission). A well-known savant's or Walî's having written that you "should read" in his book shows (that he has given) permission. If you imagine (yourself) the owner of the permission as you read (the âyat-i-kerîma or the prayer), it will be as useful and as effective as if it were read by that exalted person. It is a grave sin to read the (âyat from) Qur'ân al-kerîm or the prayer in return for money, that is, to charge for it beforehand. It is forbidden to ask for a wage and the money taken will be harâm, nor will the person concerned benefit from what has been read. Payment not demanded beforehand but offered afterwards is a gift. And a gift, in its turn, is permissible and can therefore be taken. It is stated on the thirty-seventh [37] page of **Fatâwâ-i-fiqhiyya** , "It is permissible to write one or two âyats of Qur'ân al-kerîm in a letter sent to disbelievers. No more than that should be written. And the (permission for) one or two âyats is intended for admonishing them and (will serve) as documentation (for your having admonished them). Even if a disbeliever believes in the use of an amulet, it is not permissible to give him an amulet containing an âyat-i-kerîma or blessed names. It is harâm. It is not permissible even if the letters are written separately. No matter whether an amulet is written by a Muslim or by a disbeliever, using it requires knowing that it does not contain any writing meaning disbelief or harâm." It is stated in **Mawâhib-i-ladunniyya** , "Ruqya is permissible when it meets three conditions. It must contain an âyat-i-kerîma or names of Allâhu ta'âlâ. It must be written in the Arabic language or in an intelligible language. It must be believed that ruqya is like medicine, that it will be effective if Allâhu ta'âlâ wills, and that Allâhu ta'âlâ gives the effect. The following incantation, taught by our Master, the Prophet, should be uttered on a person harmed by evil eye: **'A'ûdhu bi-kalimâtillâh-it-tâmmati min sherri kulli shaytânin wa hâmmatin wa min sherri kulli 'aynin lâmmatin.** ' If this incantation is uttered and breathed on oneself and on one's household daily, three times in the morning and three times in the afternoon, it will protect them against evil eye, against the harms of shaytâns and beasts." When it is uttered on one person (other than yourself), you say **u'îdhuka** instead of a'ûdhu. When it is uttered on two people, **u'îdhu-kumâ** is said, and when the people are more than two you say **u'îdhu kum** (instead of the first word - a'ûdhu - in the incantation)].

In short, we must do our best to carry out whatever the Mukhbir-i sâdiq (he who has always told the truth, the Prophet) communicated and whatever the savants of Ahl as-sunnat wrote in books of the Sharî'at. We must know that doing the opposite is a vehement poison and will cause endless death. That is, it will cause eternal and various torments.

The women who were in the presence of Rasûlullah 'sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam' accepted all these and took an oath only by words. Rasûlullah asked blessings on them and asked for Allah's pardon on their behalf. It must be hoped completely that these prayers have been accepted and so all of them will be forgiven. Hadrat Hind, who was Abû Sufyân's wife and Hadrat Mu'awiyya's mother was among them and acted as their spokeswoman. She spoke on behalf of them. On account of her oath and her attaining that prayer of istighfâr, it is grealtly hoped that she won her next world.

If any Muslim woman accepts these conditions and follows them, she will be included to this solemn promise and will get her share from this prayer. Allâhu ta'âlâ declares in the hundred and forty-seventh âyat of **Nisâ Sûra: "If you have îmân and give your** **thanks for the blessings of Allâhu ta'âlâ, why should Allah torment you?"** that is, "He shall not torment you." To give thanks to Allâhu ta'âlâ means to admit and practise His Sharî'at. To be saved from Hell there is no other way than obeying the owner of the Sharî'at 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' in belief and in deeds. The purpose in looking for a master is to learn the Sharî'at, and to obtain facility in belief and in following the Sharî'at by observing him. You could not expect to do and eat whatever you like and then escape torment by merely clinging to the master's arm. Such a supposition is to be fed on sheer illusions. On the Day of Resurrection, no one will intercede for anyone without being allowed to do so. And he who is allowed will intercede for the one whom he likes. To get his consent it is necessary to obey the Sharî'at. After this, only those faults done out of human weaknesses will be forgiven through intercession.

**Question:** Is it possible that a faulty, sinful person will be liked?

**Answer:** If Allâhu ta'âlâ wills to forgive him and places the means to forgive him, he will for sure be among those who are liked, though outwardly he seems to have a lot of sins. May Allâhu ta'âlâ include us all among those slaves of His whom He likes! Âmîn.

60 - SACRED NIGHTS

Sacred nights are esteemed by Islam. Having great mercy upon His slaves, Allâhu ta'âlâ has made some nights valuable and has declared that He will accept the prayers and istighfârs done on these nights. He has made these nights opportunities for His slaves to worship much, to pray and ask for forgiveness. A sacred night is named after the day following it. It is the duration of time from the early afternoon prayer of the preceding daytime till the dawn following the night. Only, the night of Arafa and the three nights of Qurbân are not so. These four nights follow the daytime after which they are named. We must benefit from these nights, perform our omitted prayers of namâz, read the Qur'ân, say prayers and istighfâr, give alms, please Muslims and send the thawâb to the souls of the dead, too. We must respect these nights. To respect them means not to commit sins during them.

It is written on the hundred and seventy-second page of the book **Riyâd-un-nâsihîn,** "Imâm-i Nawawî says in his book **Azkâr,** 'To utilize one-twelfth of the night [about one hour] means to utilize the whole night. This is the case for summer and winter nights alike.' [Ibni Âbidîn gives detailed information on this subject, on the four hundred and sixty-first page of the first volume and on the two hundred and eighty-ninth page of the third volume.] It is written in **Haqâyiq-i manzûma** , 'In books of fiqh, an hour means an amount of time.' Imâm-i Nawawî is a mujtahid in the Shâfi'î Madhhab. It is good also for those who are Hanafî to benefit from the nights in this manner."

MUSLIMS HAVE TEN SACRED NIGHTS

**1 - QADR NIGHT** is a night in the blessed month of Ramadân. Imâm-i Shâfi'î noted that it was most probably the seventeenth night, while Imâm-i a'zam Abû Hanîfa said that the most probable night was the twenty-seventh. We have been told to look for it between the twentieth and the thirtieth nights. It is the most valuable night praised in the Qur'ân. The Qur'ân began to be revealed to Rasûlullah on this night.

**2 - ARAFA NIGHT** is the night between the Arafa day and the first day of the 'Iyd of Qurbân. It is the night between the ninth and the tenth days of the month of Zil-hijja.

**3 - NIGHT OF 'IYD OF FITR** is the night between the last day of the blessed month of Ramadân and the first day of the 'Iyd.

**4 - NIGHTS OF QURBÂN** are the nights following the first, second and third days of the 'Iyd of Qurbân. These three days are called Ayyâm-i nahr.

**5 - MAWLID NIGTH** is the night between the eleventh and twelfth days of the month of Rabî'ulawwal. It is the birth night of Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa 'alaihissalâm', who was sent as the Prophet for people all over the world and who is the last and the highest of allprophets. After Qadr Night, it is the most valuable night. That night, those who become happy because he was born will be forgiven. That night, it brings much thawâb to read, listen to and learn about the wonders and miracles that were seen when Rasûlullah was born. He himself would tell about them, too. That night, the Sahâba would meet together at some place and converse with one another. [See First Fascicle (Hilya-i Sa'âdat) and Second Fascicle (Wahhabis and the Response of the Ahl as-Sunnat)]

**6 - BARÂT NIGHT** is the fifteenth night of the month of Sha'bân. That is, it is the night between its fourteenth and fifteenth days. In the eternal past, before creating anything, Allâhu ta'âlâ predestined, decreed all things. Of these, He informs His angels about everything that will happen during one year on this night. On this night the Qur'ân descended on to the Lawhilmahfûz. Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' would worship and pray very much during this night.

**7 - MI'RAJ NIGHT** is the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab. Mi'raj means ladder. It is the night on which Rasûlullah was made to ascend to heavens and was taken to unknown places.

The inhabitants of Mekka would not have îmân. They had been persecuting Muslims very much. They had gone too far and had already begun torturing Muslims. Rasûlullah was very sorry. It was one year before the Hegira, and he was fifty-two years old. Taking Zayd bin Hârisa with him, he went to Tâif. He preached to the inhabitants of Tâif for one month. None would have îmân. They mocked him and tortured him, hooted and jeered at him. The children pelted him with stones. Hopeless, wearied, he was on his way back, his blessed legs wounded. Meanwhile, Zayd's head had blood all over. During a very hot hour, they sat by the roadside, exhausted. The owners of a vineyard that happened to be there, two rich brothers named Utba and Shayba, who were sons of Rabî'a sent their servant Addâs with a bunch of grapes for each.

Before eating the grapes Rasûlullah 'sallallâhu alaihi wa sallam' said the Basmala. Addâs, a Christian, was surprised to hear this. "I have been here for many years. I have never heard anybody say such a word. What kind of a word is that?" he said.

Rasûlullah asked, "Where are you from?"

Addâs: "I am from Ninawa."

Rasûlullah: "I see you are from the same place as Hadrat Yûnus 'alaihissalâm'."

Addâs: "How do you know Yûnus? No one hereabouts knows him."

Rasûlullah: "He is my brother. He was a prophet like me."

Addâs: "The owner of this beautiful face and these sweet words cannot be a liar. I now believe that you are Allah's Messenger." So he became a Muslim and added, "O Rasûlallah. I have been serving these cruel people for many years. They have been depriving people of their rights. They have been cheating others. They have no goodness. They will commit any baseness to get what is worldly and to fulfill their sensuous desires. I hate them. I want to go with you, get honoured with your service, to be the target of the irreverence which the ignorant and the idiots will commit against you and to sacrifice myself to protect your blessed body."

Rasûlullah smiled: "Stay with your masters for the time being! After a short while, you will hear of my name far and wide. Come to me then," he stated. Resting for a while, they wiped off the remaining blood that was still on them and walked towards Mekka. It was already dark when they arrived in the city. The few months he spent in Mekka were troublesome. The enemy was everywhere. There was not a place to go. At last he went to the district of Abû Tâlib, where the house of Umm-i Hânî, his uncle's daughter, was. Umm-i Hânî had not become Muslim yet. "Who is there?" she said.

Rasûlullah said, "It is me, Muhammad, your uncle's son. I have come here as a guest, if you will accept me."

Umm-i Hânî: "I will gladly sacrifice my life for such a true, trustworthy, honourable and noble guest as you are. But if you had said in advance that you would honour us, I would have prepared something. I have no food to give you now."

Rasûlullah: "I want nothing to eat and drink. I care for none. A place will suffice where I can worship, entreat my Allah."

Umm-i Hânî received Rasûlullah, gave him a mat, a bowl and an ewer. It was considered as the most honourable duty among the Arabs to do kindness to a visitor and to protect him against an enemy. Any harm given to a guest in a home would be a grave shame for the host. Umm-i Hânî thought, "He has a lot of enemies in Mekka. There are even those who want to kill him. I will be on the watch for him till morning in order to protect my honour." Taking her father's sword, she began to walk around the house.

Rasûlullah was hurt very much during the day. Performing an ablution, he began to entreat his Allah, ask for forgiveness and pray so that people would have îmân and attain to happiness. Being very tired, hungry and aggrieved, he lay down on the mat and soon fell asleep.

At that moment, Allâhu ta'âlâ commanded to Hadrat Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm':

"I have afflicted My Beloved Prophet so much. I have hurt his blessed body, his tender heart so much. But he still entreats Me. He does not think of anything besides Me. Go! Bring Me My Beloved! Show him My Paradise and Hell. Let him see the blessings I have prepared for him and for those who love him. Let him see the torment I have prepared for those who disbelieve him, who hurt him with their words, writings and actions. I will console him. I will cure the wounds of his tender heart." Within a moment Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm' was near Rasûlullah. He found him sound asleep. He did not have the heart to wake him up. He was in a man's figure. He kissed under his blessed foot. Because he does not have a heart or blood, his cold lips woke Rasûlullah. At once he recognized Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm' and, fearing that Allâhu ta'âlâ might have gotten offended with him, he said, **"O my Brother, Jabrâil! Why are you here at such an unusual time? Have I done something wrong, have I offended my Allah? Have you brought bad news for me?"**

Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm' said, "O You, the Highest of all creatures! O You, the Beloved of the Creator! O You, the Master of Prophets! O You, the Honourable Prophet, the source of goodness and superiorities! Your Allah sends His salâm to you. He bestows upon you the blessing which He has given to no other prophet, to no creature. He invites you to Himself. Please get up. Let us go." They went to the **Ka'ba,** where someone came to them, cleaved open his chest, took out his heart and washed it with the water of Zemzem. Then he put it back in its place. Then, riding on a white animal named Burâq brought from Paradise, they went to the Masjid-i Aqsâ in Jerusalem in a moment. Making a hole in the rock with his finger, Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm' tied Burâq there. The souls of some pastprophets, in their own figures, were present there. He offered Hadrat Adam, Hadrat Nûh (Noah) and Hadrat Ibrâhîm, respectively, to become the imâm so that they would perform the namâz in jamâ'at. Asking for an excuse and saying that they were defective, they all refused it. Hadrat Jabrâil suggested Rasûlullah. "When you are present, no one can be the imâm," he said. After the namâz, they went out of the masjid and by some unknown ascent passed the seven layers of heavens in one moment. At each heaven he saw a great Prophet. Jabrâil 'alaihissalâm' remained in Sidra, saying, "If I go as farther as a hair's breadth I will burn and perish." Sidrat-ul-muntahâ is a tree in the sixth heaven. After seeing Paradise, Hell and innumerable things, Rasûlullah, on a carpet of Paradise named Rafraf, passed the Kursî, the 'Arsh, the world of souls, and reached the heights decreed by Allâhu ta'âlâ in an unknown, incomprehensible and unexampled manner. Without place, time, direction and manner, he saw Allâhu ta'âlâ. Without eyes, ears, means and place, he spoke with Allâhu ta'âlâ. Attaining blessings that could be known or comprehended by no creature, he came back to Jerusalem and thence to Umm-i Hânî's house in the blessed city of Mekka. The place where he had lain down had not become cold yet, nor had the motion of the water in the bowl come to a standstill. Umm-i Hânî, who had been walking about outside, had dozed off, unaware of everything. On his way from Jerusalem to Mekka he met a caravan of Quraish. A camel in the caravan was frightened and fell down.

The next morning he went to Ka'ba and related his mi'râj. Hearing this, the disbelievers scoffed at him. "Muhammad's gone crazy for good," they said. And the ones who had been thinking of becoming Muslims grave up. Some of them, amused, went to Abû Bakr's house. They knew he was a clever, experienced and calculating merchant. As soon as he came to the door, they asked him:

"O Abâ Bakr! You went to Jerusalem many times. You must know well. How long does it take to go from Mekka to Jerusalem?"

Hadrat Abû Bakr said, "I know well that it takes more than a month."

The disbelievers were pleased with this reply and said, "So will a wise and experienced man say." Laughing, mocking, being happy because Abû Bakr had the same opinion as they did, they said:

"Your master says that he went to and came back from Jerusalem in a night. He is completely mad now," and showed their sympathy, reverence and trust for Abû Bakr.

Upon hearing the blessed name of Rasûlullah, Abû Bakr 'radiyallâhu anh' said, "If he says so I believe him. He for sure went and came back in a moment," and went back in. The disbelievers were all stupefied. Hanging their heads, they walked away, saying, "How amazing! What a strong sorcerer Muhammad is! He bewitched Abû Bakr."

Clothing himself immediately, Abû Bakr went to Rasûlullah. In the big crowd he said aloud, "O Rasûlallah! I congratulate you, your blessed mi'râj! Infinite thanks to Allâhu ta'âlâ because He has honoured us with being the servants of such an exalted prophet as you are. He has blessed us with seeing your shining face, with hearing your sweet words that please hearts and attract souls. O Rasûlallah! Every word you say is true. I believe in you. I am ready to sacrifice my life for you!" These words of Abû Bakr's bewildered the disbelievers. Being at a loss as to what to say, they dispersed. This strengthened the hearts of a few people with weak îmân who had been doubting. That day Rasûlullah called Abû Bakr "Siddîq." Being given this name, he was promoted to a higher grade.

All this exasperated the disbelievers. They could not bear the Believers' strong îmân, their believing right away whatever he said, their gathering around him and protecting him. In order to rout and disgrace Rasûlullah, they attempted to test him.

"O Muhammad 'alaihissalâm'! You claim to have gone to Jerusalem. Tell us now! How many doors and how many windows does the masjid have?" were some of their questions. As the Prophet answered each, Hadrat Abû Bakr said, "Right, O Rasûlallah! It is true, O Rasûlallah!" But in actual fact, out of his embarrassment, Rasûlullah would not even look at a person in the face. Afterwards, he stated, "I had not looked around in Masjid-i aqsâ. I had not seen what they asked about. At that moment Hadrat Jabrâil brought Masjid-i aqsâ before my eyes. [Like watching television], I saw, counted, and answered their questions at once." He said that he had seen travellers riding camels on his way and that he hoped, inshâallah, that they would arrive on Wednesday. On Wednesday, just before sunset, the caravan arrived in Mekka. They said that something had happened like the blowing of the wind and that a camel had fallen down. This situation strengthened the Believers' îmân but aggravated the disbelievers' enmity. The book **Rûh-ul-bayân,** quoting from the book **Tafsîr-i Husaynî,** and the book **Bahr,** in the section dealing with imâmat, say, "One who does not believe that Rasûlullah was taken from the city of Mekka to Jerusalem [to Beyt-ul muqaddes] will be a disbeliever. One who does not believe that he was taken to the heavens and to unknown places will be dâl and mubtadi'. " That is, he will be a heretic.

**8 - RAJAB MONTH AND NIGHT OF RAGHÂIB:** First Friday night of the month of Rajab is called **Night of Raghâib.** Every night of Rajab is already valuable. Every Friday night is valuable, too. When these two valuable nights come together, they become all the more valuable. The value of the night of Raghâib is communicated by various hadîths.

Rajab had been valuable since the time of Hadrat Adam. It had been a sin to war in this month. The month had been respected by all ummats. Rajab means majectic, great, honoured, valuable. It is written in the Persian book **Anîsulwâ'izîn,** "During the time of Hadrat Îsâ, a youngster fell in love with a lovely girl. He was mad with desire to have her. A long time later he managed to get a date. One night they came together in her room and undressed themselves. The youngster was so happy. Right then he saw the new moon through the window. "What month is this?" he asked. When the girl said, "Rajab," he suddenly pulled himself together and dressed himself. The girl, astonished, asked what was the matter with him. The youngster answered, "I have heard from my parents that we must not sin in the month of Rajab but must respect this month." Asking for an excuse, he went home. Allâhu ta'âlâ sent wahy to Îsâ 'alaihissalâm' and informed him with what had happened, commanding him, "Visit this youngster and give my salâm to him." Being pleased with the fact that a great prophet had been sent to him owing to the reverence he had paid to Rajab, the youngster accepted îmân and became a good Believer. On account of Rajab, he attained the honour of îmân."

**9 - MUHARRAM NIGHT:** The first night of the month of Muharram is the Muslim's new year's night. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic year. The first day of Muharram is the first day of the Muslims' new year, that is, of the Hijrî year (A.H.). Disbelievers celebrate Christmas on the first night of January, which is their new year's day. They commit the actions of disbelief commanded by the Christian religion. They worship on that night. And Muslims, too, on their new year's night and day, congratulate one another by exchanging letters (or by calling one another). They visit one another, give presents to one another. They celebrate the New Year with magazines and newspapers. They send their prayers so that the New Year will be beneficial and prosperous for them and for all Muslims. They visit their parents and the savants at their homes and get their benedictions. On that day, they put on new dresses as if it were a day of 'Iyd. They give alms to the poor.

**10 - ASHÛRA NIGHT:** The tenth night of Muharram. Muharram is one of the four months esteemed in the Qur'ân. Ashûra is the most valuable night of the month. Allâhu ta'âlâ has accepted many prayers on Ashûra Day. Acceptance of Hadrat Adam's repentance; Hadrat Nûh's (Noah's) ship's being rescued from the Flood, Hadrat Yûnus' getting out of the fish's stomach; Hadrat Ibrâhîm's not burning in Nimrod's fire; Hadrat Idrîs' being made to ascend to heavens; Hadrat Ya'qûb's finding his son Yûsuf and healing of the cataract on his eyes; Hadrat Yûsuf's getting out of the well; Hadrat Ayyûb's recovering health; Hadrat Mûsâ's (Moses) passing over the Nile and Pharaoh's being drowned; Hadrat Îsâ's birth and his escaping from being killed by Jews and his ascent to heaven alive; all these happened on the Ashûra Day. It is not an act of worship for Muslims to cook (the sweet desert called) ashûra on the tenth of Muharram because Hadrat Nûh (Noah) cooked a sweet called ashûra on board the ship. Hadrat Muhammad and the Sahâba did not do so. It is a bid'at, a sin to think that it is an act of worship to cook ashûra on that day. It is worship to do what Hadrat Muhammad did and commanded. It will not bring thawâb to do things that are not written in books of the dîn or taught by savants of the dîn. It is sinful. It is sunnat, and worship, to prepare any sweet or to give feasts to acquaintances and alms to the poor on that day. Ibni Âbidîn writes on the two hundred and seventy-sixth page of the fifth volume, "It is a sunnat to put kohl on the eyelashes. But it is harâm to do this only on Ashûra Day."

It is bid'at to mourn and lament because Hadrat Husain 'radiyallâhu anh' was martyred on that day. It is sinful. Mourning on Ashûra Day is a custom of the Shî'îs. They mourn for Hadrat Husain. Because he was Hadrat Alî's son, they praise him adoringly. But we the Ahl as-sunnat love him very much because he was Rasûlullah's grandson. There is no mourning in Islam. Muslims do not mourn only on Ashûra Day. But they always become sad whenever they remember the tragedy of Kerbelâ. They grieve deeply. They weep bitterly. If there were mourning in Islam, we would have done it not on Ashûra Day but on the day when Rasûlullah's blessed feet bled all over in Tâif, or when his blessed tooth was broken and his blessed face bled at Uhûd or when he passed away.

Of the ten nights mentioned above, the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth nights are called **Qandîl** nights.

Besides the ten nights mentioned above, the other nights of 'Iyd of fitr, first ten nights of the month of Zil-hijja, first ten nights of Muharram, every Friday night and every Monday night are sacred. Hadrat Sharnblâlî writes the virtues of the nights in detail in his book **Imdâd-ul-fattâh.**

The following hadîths are written in various books:

**1 - The gates of** [Allah's] **Compassion are opened on four nights. Prayers or istighfârs done on these nights will not be refused. The first nights of the 'Iyd of Fitr and Qurbân, the fifteenth night of Sha'bân** [Barât] **and Arafa Night.** [Qadr Night having been mentioned in many hadîths, it must have been deemed unnecessary to mention it here.]

**2 - Among acts of worship, Allâhu ta'âlâ likes better the ones done within the first ten days of Zil-hijja. A day's fast during these days will be given the thawâb of a year's** [supererogatory] **fast. The namâz performed during their nights is like the namâz performed on Qadr Night. Perform very much tasbîh, tahlîl and takbîr on these days!**

**3 - If a Muslim fasts on Tarwiya Day and does not say anything sinful, Allâhu ta'âlâ will put him into Paradise certainly.** [Tarwiya is the eighth of Zil-hijja, previous to Arafa Day].

4 - Respect Arafa Day! For, Arafa is a day esteemed by Allâhu ta'âlâ.

5 - Those who worship on Arafa Night will be set free from Hell.

**6 - Two years' sins of those who fast on Arafa Day will be forgiven. The past one year's sins and the next one year's sins.** [Arafa is the ninth day of Zil-hijja, other days are not called Arafa.]

7 - He who says the Ikhlâs a thousand times on Arafa Day will be forgiven all his sins and his every prayer will be accepted. He must say all of them with the Basmala.

8 - Rajab is the month of Allâhu ta'âlâ. He who shows honour to the month of Rajab and who respects it will be blessed by Allâhu ta'âlâ in this world and the next.

As it is written in the Arabic book **Futûhulghayb** by Hadrat Abdulqâdir-i Geylânî and on the two hundred and seventy-fourth page of its Persian explanation by Abdulhaq Dahlawî, Hadrat Ali quotes the following hadîth:

Rasûlullah stated, **"If a person has not performed his fard namâz, his performing nâfila namâz is like** [the case of] **a pregnant woman who has completed pregnancy. On the day when she is about to deliever the child, she has a miscarriage. Since her child has perished, the woman cannot be said to be pregnant. Nor can she be called a mother. So is this person. Unless he makes his prayers of fard namâz, Allâhu ta'âlâ will not accept his supererogatory prayers."** Abdulhaq Dahlawî, a great savant, an expert of hadîths, says "This hadîth informs that those who perform the sunnat and nâfila prayers instead of performing their omitted prayers of fard namâz are wasting time. For, any prayer which is not fard or wâjib is called nâfila. Those nâfila prayers performed together with the ones that are fard are called muakkad sunnat namâz. Those that are not prescribed to be performed together with the fard ones are called **zawâid sunnat**.

**9 - He who embellishes** [respects] **the first Friday night of Rajab will not be tormented by Allâhu ta'âlâ in his grave. Allahu ta'âlâ will accept his prayers. Only, there are seven people whom He will not forgive and whose prayers He will not accept: he who takes and gives interest; he who abhors Muslims; the child who torments and disobeys his parents; the woman who disobeys her husband though he is a Muslim and obeys the Sharî'at; he who sings and plays music as a profession; he who commits homosexuality or fornication; he who does not perform namâz five times a day.** Unless they give up and repent for these sins and ask for Allah's forgiveness, their prayers will not be accepted. Any command incompatible with the Sharî'at must not be obeyed or done whether it is given by one's parents, by a woman's husband or by anybody else. But it is still necessary to speak mildly to one's parents and not to hurt them. If one's parents are disbelievers one must bring them back from a church or tavern, even by carrying them on one's back if necessary. But one does not have to take them to such places.

Ibni Âbidîn writes on the two hundred and sixty-ninth page of the fifth volume, "It is tahrîmî makrûh to call one's parents, and also for a wife to call her husband, by their names, and is a grave sin. One must call them by going near them and by using words of reverence and respect. One must not call them loudly from a distance."

**10 - Jabrâil** 'alaihissalâm' **came to me and said, "Get up, perform namâz and pray! Tonight is the fifteenth night of Sha'bân." Allâhu ta'âlâ forgives those who respect this night. Only, He does not forgive polytheists, sorcerers, witches, misers, those who have alcoholic drinks, those who take interest and those who commit fornication.**

11 - Know that Barât Night is an opportunity, a great fortune! For, it is a certain night. It is the fifteenth night of Sha'bân. Qadr Night is very great, but it is not known for certain which night it is. Worship very much on this night. Or else you will repent on the Judgement Day!

Upon hearing that a lot of thawâb will be given for doing a certain thing at a certain place and time, if a person does it with this thought in order to get thawâb, Allâhu ta'âlâ will give him the thawâb even if the information were not true. But it has to be something not prohibited by the Sharî'at. To get the thawâb of supererogatory worships, it is a condition not to have any defect in one's îmân and in one's fard worships, to repent for one's sins and to entreat Allâhu ta'âlâ for forgiveness, and to intend to do them as worship.

A'ûdhu billah-imin-esh-shaytân-ir-rajîm  
Bi-s-mi-llâh-ir-Rahmân-ir-Rahîm

Resûlullah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' stated: "When fasâd (mischief, instigation, disunion, tumult) runs rife among my Ummat (Muslims), a person who abides by my Sunnat will acquire blessings equal to the amount deserved by a hundred martyrs." Scholars affiliated with any one of the four Madhhabs, (which are, namely, Hanafî, Mâlikî, Shâfi'î and Hanbalî,) are called Scholars of Ahl as-Sunna. The leader of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna is al-Imâm al-a'zam Abû Hanîfa. These scholars recorded what they had heard from the Sahâba-i-kirâm, who, in their turn, had told them what they had heard from the Messenger of Allah 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam'.

The earth is populated by three groups of people today:

1– Disbelievers. These people say that they are not Muslims. Jews and Christians are in this group.

2– The Sunnî Muslims. These people exist with an ever-increasing population in every country.

3– (Hypocrites called) Munâfiqs. They say that they are Muslims. With respect to îmân and some acts of worship, they are not comparable to the Ahl as-Sunnat. They are not true Muslims.

Our Prophet 'sall-Allâhu 'alaihi wa sallam' stated, "A person whom Allâhu ta'âlâ loves very much is one who learns his religion and teaches it to others. Learn your religion from the mouths of Islamic scholars!"

A person who cannot find a true scholar must learn by reading books written by the scholars of Ahl as-sunna, and try hard to spread these books. A Muslim who has 'ilm (knowledge), 'amal (practising what one knows; obeying Islam's commandments and prohibitions), and ikhlâs (doing everything only to please Allâhu ta'âlâ) is called an Islamic scholar. A person who represents himself as an Islamic scholar though he lacks any one of these qualifications is called an 'evil religious scholar', or an 'impostor'. An Islamic scholar is a guard who protects Islam. An impostor is Satan's accomplice[].
DİPNOTLAR

[1] Vindictive, capable of revenging on His enemies.

[2] The early Muslims

[3] See Second Volume, 23rd letter in the second fascicle of Endless Bliss.

[4] Although the gate through which Allah's mercy originally emanates is always open, the heart which is the gate for it to enter, is not open in everybody. We must pray for the opening of this gate.

[5] Avicenna.

[6] Its English version, Documents of The Right Word, is available from Hakîkat Kitâbevi, Fâtih, Ist., Turkey.

[7] Ceasing to exist in ideation, conception.

[8] Ceasing to exist physically.

[9] Avicenna

[10] It is pronounced as (∫ırk), I.P.A.

[11] Knowledge that is acquired not for the purpose of practising it with ikhlâs, will not be beneficial. Please see the 366th and 367th pages of the first volume of Hadîqa, and also the 36th and the 40th and the 59th letters in the first volume of Maktûbât. (The English versions of these letters exist in the 16th and the 25th and the 28th chapters, respectively, of the second fascicle of Endless Bliss).
