Sufi “Suhba”s[1]  

A Sufi Master’s (Sheikh's)Abdürrahim Reyhan Conversations 

Suhba “1”

“Come, whoever you are, come again!”

The graces[2] bestowed to us by Allah are enormous. For the sake of his Beloved Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW = PBUH), Allah made Himself known to us through his awliya who are inheritors[3] of the prophets. Our precious and exalted greats say:

Can there be any other grace bigger than this! 

So let’s appreciate the value of this grace and hope that Allah increases it. What happens if Allah increases and augments our grace? He amplifies, amplifies, amplifies his grace and finally He shows his jamaal (beauty) to us. Because the jamaal of Allah (jamaalullah = beauty of Allah) is haqq (the truth, the reality) the servant’s seeing the jamaal of Allah is also haqq. There was a madhhab denying the seeing ofjamaalullah which, at the end, became batil and disappeared. In this respect, Cenâb-ı Haqq says through the mouth of his Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) “We were a hidden[4] treasure and we created the men so that we become apparent” and He says in the Quran (51/56) “I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me”. Allah created us as Muslims. If we live in accordance with our beliefs, Cenâb-ı Haqq promises us to show his jamaal. What are our beliefs? … If we live in accordance with the sharia and tariqa, we reach Haqiqa. Our reality is our spirit. Our spirit came from Allah and it reaches Allah. In an “al-Kalaam al-Kebaar” in Salih Baba Divanı, it is said:

When (now that/inasmuch as) the Himma(t) of the lover of Allah (The assistance of awliya of Allah) is with us, (our supporter)   

That is, “if the Himma(t) of awliya is our assistant” or “if awliya (all of whom are exalted) help us” …

When (now that/inasmuch as) the Himma(t) of the friends of Allah is with us

When the Shah (Sheikh, leader, head, king) Naqshbandi is ser-Hünkar (head of all spiritual leaders, friends of Allah, sultans, kings, sovereigns, rulers, shahs)

When Seyyid Tâhâ and Sıbgatullah[5] are in the golden chain of “spiritual masters (murshids) of this Sufi path”

Our journey (spiritual travel) will take us up to “gâbe gavseyn” (to the presence of Allah)

“Gâbe gavseyn” is the station given by Cenâb-ı Haqq to His Beloved Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW). It is mentioned in Quran (53/9). In this verse, Cenâb-ı Haqq (Allah, God) says: “My Beloved! You approached me so close that you were at a distance of two eyebrows (two bow-lengths) or (even) nearer”. Of course, a man (human being) can’t reach to the station of our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) (his closeness to Allah) no matter how much he ascends (gets closer to Allah). But it is said that he can climb up there, that is, he can go up to that station.  Will he be a prophet, if he can climb up there? No! He won’t be a prophet. But he becomes “inheritor of prophet”. The phrase “inheritor of prophet” means substitute (deputy) of our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW).

These (the spirits of the sheikhs) are pure spirits[6] who reached “Cem-ül Cem” (Allah; Oneness or Unity of Being of Allah; Unification with Allah)

They came from “Cem” (Allah) back to the “Farq”,(created world; creatures) Sheikh is the deputy of (substitute for) Muhammad Mustapha

When does this happen? … They are “pure spirits”, that is, the spirits of the friends of Allah are “pure spirits”[7]. “These pure spirits” signifies that they all reached “the station of pure spirit”. And “reaching the station of pure spirit” means that they became estranged to or grew away from everything other than Allah and that they ceded everything other than Allah and that they disposed of everything. They now consist of “A Friend and a pelt[8]”. “The Friend” is Allah and “the pelt” is their bodies. They made The Friend sit upon the pelt. What becomes the man who managed to take (to exalt) his spirit to its real station? He becomes the inheritor of the prophets. Salih Baba says in his diwan (collection of his poems) called “Salih Baba Divanı”:

These are pure spirits who reached “Cem-ül Cem” (reaching Oneness or Unity of Being of Allah; Unification with Allah)

They came from “Cem” (Allah) back to the “Farq”, (created world; creatures) Sheikh is the deputy of (substitute for) Muhammad Mustapha

Sâlik, (traveler in the Path to Allah) first of all, becomes “fanâ fish-sheikh”, that is, he annihilates his existence (being/entity) in the existence of his Sheikh.

But those who don’t join in tariqa (the spiritual path to Allah) can’t obtain or reach to these graces.  They can only be one of those who managed to abandon this world (his worldly-desires). That is, he can save his spirit only from this world; he quits this world’s life (his worldly desires) and becomes only one of the desirers of the life to come. He can be qualified as a dweller of Jannah (Paradise). He of course obtains Jannah or the life to come (hereafter). “The resurrection (revival) after the death…” Isn’t “believing in hereafter (the life to come)” one of the prerequisites of “Faith”? But this world is batil (unreal, false). Men can abandon the world. They can be among those who earned the eternal world (hereafter, jannah). But, it is said that, for man, there are stations of “abandoning the world”, “abandoning the hereafter” and “abandoning the false and deceptive feeling of abandoning the world and the hereafter”. Men can abandon the world. They can also be among those who earned the eternal world. But they can’t abandon the hereafter by themselves and they can’t abandon the feeling of abandoning or having abandoned the world and the hereafter.  

As for those who became “fanâ fish-Sheikh”, that is, annihilated their existences (beings/ entities) in the existence of their sheikhs, they abandoned this world, they abandoned the hereafter, and they also abandoned the false and deceptive feeling of having abandoned the world and the hereafter. Of course, this is something very difficult to be understood. This can only be known by the ones who experience this abandonment.   

Therefore, what happens to a man joining in a tariqa? He becomes “fanâ fish-Sheikh”, that is, he annihilates his existence in the existence of his sheikh. Then, he becomes “fanâ fir-Rasoul”, that is, he annihilates his existence in the existence of the Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW). Finally he becomes “fanâ fillah”, that is, he annihilates his existence in the Existence of Allah. When he becomes fanâ fillah, he also becomes Cem-ül Cem (One and the Same with Allah).  Then, they abandon all of these levels or stations including fanâ fillah and come back to Farq (back among the creatures). That is, they first reach Haqq, (Allah) then return among the creatures. However, this time, when they return among the creatures, they never cease their relations with Haqq (Allah). They have relations with both the Haqq who is the Creator and the creatures at the same time. Manifest sides (bodies, outer dimensions, appearances) of the friends of Allah are with the creatures and the folk. Aren’t they? Friends of Allah have also manifest bodies fashioned out of substance. Apparently they are human beings. Friends of Allah are outwardly human beings like us; they are social and get in touch with the people. They have social status, they eat, they drink, they sleep, they become ill, they get tired, and they instruct and get instructed… They experience all of these humanly activities. However, while they experience all of these outwardly, that is, while their manifest bodies are in contact with the people or the creatures, their inwards (nonmanifest sides) are with Haqq. Then, what does a friend of Allah do? What is his function? 

They have come from “Cem” (from Allah) back to the “Farq”, (among the creatures)

That is, here, there is “Cem” and there is “Farq”. Behold! There is an “Al-Kalaam al-Kebaar”:

Nobody knows the totality of the “Dhat”, (Real Individual, Allah Himself, Essence of Allah) so don’t be eager to know “Dhat” (to set off in that way)

Know that the tongues become dumb (unable to speak) and the breaths cease at this point,

Never try to speak about the Nondelimited Dhat the knowledge about whom is delimited for the creatures

The purpose of this mystery (enigma, conundrum) is to understand the difference between “Cem” (Allah) and “Farq” (the creatures)

On this point, (in connection with Cem and Farq) human beings can only speak about “Farq” and give examples only about “Farq”. The words can’t describe “Cem”. So nothing can be said or spoken about “Cem”. But the words can describe “Farq” (the creatures). So man can speak about “Farq”. What is Farq? Farq is the creation and the creatures. What is Cem? Cem is the Dhat of Allah (Essence or Core of Allah, Allah Himself, Real Individual). Nothing can be said about Cem. When men become or reach Cem-ül Cem, first of all they are annihilated in the Being/Existence of Allah. How is this annihilation called? Fanâ fillah (annihilation in Allah). After passing through that station of Cem-ül Cem and Fanâ fillah, they come back to Farq (among creatures). They abandon Cem and return back to Farq without putting an end to their connection with Allah/Cem. Then they have two sides: Their outwards (manifest sides/bodies) are created and therefore their outwards are with the creatures and the people. Their inwards (nonmanifest sides) are haqq (real) and therefore their inwards are with Haqq (The Real Being, Allah). This is the meaning of the two sides of those returning from Cem to Farq.

These are pure spirits who reached “Cem-ül Cem”

They came from “Cem” back to the “Farq”; Sheikh is the deputy of Muhammad Mustapha

Then, what do they become? They become intermediaries between the Creator and the creatures. When we say “creatures”, we mean the “people”. When we say “people”, we mean the “human beings”. Yes… Not all of the creatures can go back to Allah. Notice that all of the creatures except from human beings perish. After dying, they are not (will never be) created again with some exceptions.

But mankind is different. For man, there is a coming from Allah and there is also “a going back to Allah”[9]. The spirits of men came from Allah and will go back to Allah. That is why their spirits do not perish while their bodies made of earth (clay) become earth again. But, Cenâb-ı Haqq will create a new body again for his servant, that is, for the spirit. “The resurrection (revival) after the death = wa’l ba’su ba’da’l mawt” … On the resurrection day, human beings will be revived. At that revival, Cenâb-ı Haqq will create new bodies for the spirits. But spirits earn their new bodies to be adapted or assumed in the life to come while they are in this world. If a spirit has earned a beautiful body (appearance) in this world, Cenâb-ı Haqq will create a beautiful body for that spirit in the life to come. The spirit will enjoy himself in Jannah within that beautiful body. If the spirit hasn’t earned a beautiful body in this world and has left the world having earned an unattractive body, Cenâb-ı Haqq will revive that spirit in that unattractive body and that spirit will be chastised in the Jahannam (Hell) within that unattractive body (appearance).  How is this called? Animal attribute (bestial quality)! Why does a man remain in animal attributes? If a man doesn’t accept Allah and the Holy Book (Quran), if he doesn’t obey the orders of Quran and if he doesn’t believe in the celestial books coming from Cenâb-ı Haqq, he remains in animal attributes. Man should beleive in the holy books. However, there are some people who believe in holy books, but don’t practice in accordance with them…  It should be emphasized that a man should practice only in accordance with Quran. Quran is the Truth. Whose practices or which book’s practices are batil (refused unaccepted, invalid, null, void)? … For example, other than Quran, there are Injeel, (Bible / Gospel sent down to the Prophet Christ) Tawrat (Torah / Old Testament sent down to the Prophet Moses) and Zabur (Psalms sent down to the Prophet David) They are all major Holy Books… But in addition to these books, some pages (scrolls) were also sent down. The validity of these pages was cancelled by Allah and they became invalid. The validities of other celestial books were also cancelled by Allah. Which book is valid now? The provisions of the Holy Quran are valid now.  Whoever doesn’t obey the rules and provisions of the Holy Quran and Sunna [the words, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW)] remains in animal attributes. Cenâb-ı Haqq ordains as follows: “If my servant obeys and submits me, I protect him with my all-mighty hand”. Obedience and submission is to Quran. And the Quran is the orders of Cenâb-ı Haqq. On the other hand Cenâb-ı Haqq ordains as follows: “O My beloved! He, who submits himself to Me, let him obey you. Whoever doesn’t obey you doesn’t submit himself to Me, whoever hasn’t obeyed you hasn’t submitted himself to Me”.[10] So, what is Islam? What is sharia? What is tariqa? What is Haqiqa? And what is mârifa? All of them depend on Quran and Sunna. However, the understanding and interpretation of the Quran and the Sunna is different for those in sharia, in tariqa and in Haqiqa. Isn’t the book of Muslims Quran? Isn’t the guide of the Muslims the holy verses of the Quran? But the Holy Quran has its exoteric meaning, esoteric meaning and real meaning. Real meaning is “batne” meaning (inmost meaning, inmost esoteric meaning, a kind of esoteric meaning of the esoteric meaning)… Its exoteric meaning, its esoteric meaning and its “batne” (real, inmost) meaning… Quran’s exoteric meaning is known by exoteric scholars. Its esoteric meaning is known by sheikhs and its “batne” (real, inmost) meaning is known by the prophets. Cenâb-ı Haqq revealed Quran’s “batne” (real, inmost) meaning only to the prophets. It is known by the prophets. Therefore in the “Salih Baba Divanı” (Collection of the Poems of Salih Usta or Salih Baba) it is said as follows:

When (now that / inasmuch as) the Himma(t) of the friends of Allah is with us

When the Shah (Sheikh, leader, head, king,) Nakshbandî is ser-Hünkar (head of all spiritual leaders, friends of Allah, sultans, kings, sovereign, rulers, Shahs)

The meaning of Hünkar is “head” and “king” (shah, padishah, sultan). It also means fast, (quick, rapid) active, (dynamic, agile) alive and strong”.

When (now that/inasmuch as) Seyyid Tâhâ and Sıbgatullah[11] are in the golden chain of “spiritual masters (murshids) of this Sufi path”

Our journey (spiritual travel) will take us up to “gâbe gavseyn” (to the presence of Allah)

The path taking the traveler to Allah is open... The path is open until “gâbe gavseyn”. Go there if you can… Is it possible to arrive at that station? Yes, it is. Five of the awliya (friends of Allah) reached the station of “gâbe gavseyn”. Who are they? Hadhrat Mansur al-Hallaj, Hadhrat Ibn Arabi (Muhyiddin-i Arabî), Hadhrat Bayazid Bastami (Bayezid-i Bistami), our master Hadhrat Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari (founder of the Sufi path Naqshbandiyyah) and Hadhrat Najmuddin-e Kubra (Necmettin-i Kübra). But four of them were sent back down to their previous stations as they couldn’t manage to stay there. To give an example, let’s imagine that the head official of a district was appointed as the governor of a province. But he couldn’t manage that rank (the governorship) and said that “I can’t govern this province”. Then he left that position of being a governor and went back down to the position of being the head of a subdistrict… God forbid! This is just an example… They couldn’t manage to stay at that station of gâbe gavseyn and descended down. But our master Hadhrat Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari managed and stayed at that station and was chosen as the head of awliya (friends of Allah).

The reason why Hadhrat Mansur couldn’t manage to stay at the station of gâbe gavseyn and was sent back down to his previous station is his famous saying “Ana al-Haqq = I am Haqq = I am The Truth/The Real/The God”. The reason for rejection or lowering of Hadhrat Ibn-Arabi is, again, his famous saying “Allah to whom you worship is under my feet…”  Hadhrat Bayazid Bastami’s reason of being rejected is also his famous saying “There is nothing wrapped in my turban but Allah”. However, in fact, they hadn’t been promoted to the station of gâbe gavseyn from their original stations. That is, simply, they couldn’t govern or managed to stay at that station which is higher than their levels of walaya (their being friends of Allah / their sainthood) and they descended down to the station of being friend of Allah. They stayed at their original stations of being friend of Allah. I mean gâbe gavseyn was not their original stations and therefore, we can say that they didn’t lose their own original stations. But our master Hadhrat Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari managed and stayed at that station and that’s why he was chosen as the head of awliya (friends of Allah). Pay attention to what our master Hadhrat Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari says: “If there had been any one of the spiritual sons (khalifas or successors) of Khawaja (Master / Sheikh) Abdul Khaliq Gajadwani in all over the world at the time of Mansur, he would have helped Mansur pass his station and Mansur would have managed to stay at the station of gâbe gavseyn. Consequently he wouldn’t have been hanged or executed.” But, who are his spiritual sons? When Hadhrat Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari said “sons”, he meant himself and those whom he trained (his students / khalifas or successors). What he said has been and still is the fact indeed. After Hadhrat Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari appeared in this world and his fame reached all over the world, this hâl (the state in which Hadhrat Mansur said “I am the Truth / the Real / God = Ana al Haqq”) hasn’t been observed any more on any of the murids (disciples) of the sheikhs of Naqshbandiyyah. Even if there were some, who had experienced the same state they didn’t insist on this claim and gave up saying the same words with Hadhrat Mansur. Yes… that is why it was said in the Diwan of Salih Baba

Our path (tariqa) is the path of Naqshbandi  

Murids (disciples) of this path are the heads (the biggest, the greatest, the noblest) of the murids of all other paths

Our branch in Naqshbandi Tariqa is “Khaledi” (Mawlânâ Khâlid-i Baghdâdî) which is the most-loved (liked, enjoyed, preferred) branch by the hearts

Those who joined awakened from the sleep of heedlessness (forgetting Allah)

That is our belief in our path… In the same way, it is also said by the Sheikh Muhammad Sami through the mouth of his disciple Salih Baba:

Naqshbandi Tariqa is the way taking the disciple to Haqq (Allah)

Those who joined all are wali (saint, friend of Allah)

But, only on condition that he/she perseveres on this way after he/she joins and preserves the honor of his/her tariqa and his/her sheikh. This is a “must” (a necessity). If this condition is not fulfilled, then it is said in the Diwan of Salih Baba for this type of people:

If we don’t have the necessary gift, (aptitude, and ability) what can the sheikh do!

Even if our sheikh is Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW)

All of these verses were said by the same person (Salih Baba). But who in fact said them? Is it really Salih Baba himself?  His rabeta (Sheikh / Murshid) said these verses through the mouth of Salih Baba. Salih Baba professes this fact in many verses. He states that it isn’t he who said these poems. As a matter of fact, it is a reality that they were said by his sheikh Pir-i Sami (Muhammad Sami al-Erzincânî). In one of his quatrains, Salih Baba says:

Since Hadhrat Pir (my sheikh) accepted my initiation into this Path by taking hold of my hand, O Saliha!

Meaning of “Saliha” in this verse is “Salih”. He says that “whoever holds the hand of a kâmil (the one who is perfect) and mukammeel (mükemmil) (the one who himself is perfect and has the ability and the authority to make the others perfect) sheikh…”;

Since HadhratPir (my sheikh) accepted my initiation into this Path by taking hold of my hand! O Saliha!

I have been heralded with having experienced the order of the Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) “Die before you die”

What it means “Die before you die”? This is a hadith qudsi… Cenâb-ı Haqq ordains through the mouth of His Beloved Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW): “Die before you die”. If a man dies in the path of Allah / in tariqa under the spiritual education of his sheikh before he dies physically, then, it (this type of dying) means that his life or days in the grave,  his doomsday (his resurrection and his judgment day), his fears and dreads in connection with rendering his account in the presence of Allah,his nefy [his obligation of rejecting all false gods (imaginary existences consisting only of non-physical appearances, outer forms, shapes, figures) other than Allah which are fabricated by his imaginary existence (his commanding-nefs)], angels’ questioning him in the resurrection day, his rendering accounts of how he lived in this world, his everything (problems, troubles, matters) are over. Nothing is left for the other world. That is the fact! Look at what was said by Salih Baba:

Can a person be called as “dervish” if he hasn’t drunken from the Hauzu'l-Kausar (the lake of abundance) and satiated with it

Before entering in to the grave and reaching the Resurrection (Judgment) Day and passing over the Sirat (The Bridge of Hell)  

Therefore, Praise be to Allah…

  Take (accept) this opportunity as booty say the exalted greats of our way:

  Avail yourself of every night as al- Laylat al-Qadr (The night of Qadr)

Consider (accept, take) whomever you see as al-Khidr

  And Take (accept) this opportunity as booty from Allah

Whose words are they? They are the words of Hadhrat“Ibrahim Hakki Erzurumi” which are recorded in his book named “Mârifetname” (Book of Gnosis):

Avail yourself of every night as al- Laylat al-Qadr (The night of Qadr)

Consider (accept, take) whomever you see as al-Khidr

And Take (accept) this opportunity as booty from Allah

The first verse means “pay great attention not to spend the nights heedlessly (negligently, thoughtlessly), on the contrary enliven them as if each of them was al-Laylat al-Qadr.”

Consider whoever you see as al-Khidr

We say that this verse mean “consider everybody as higher (exalted, superior) than yourself and see yourself as lower (inferior) than everybody else”. This is the modesty. Cenâb-ı Haqq praises modest people. Also our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) praises them. How does Cenâb-ı Haqq praise them? Cenâb-ı Haqq ordains “whoever degrades himself for the sake of Allah, we upgrade him.”  Meanwhile it is also said by our exalted greats:  

The modesty opens (conquers) the gate (door) of al-Fettah (one of the names of Allah meaning “The Opener”, “The Conqueror”)

“The Gate (Door) of Al-Fettah!”… That is, modesty opens all the doors which should be opened. Let’s turn back to the verse of Hadhrat Ibrahim Hakkı Erzurumi

Consider whoever you see as al-Khidr  

The meaning of “consider as al-Khidr” is “behave modestly”, “be modest”, “consider everybody as higher (superior) than yourself no matter who he is”. In the Diwan of Salih Baba it is said:

You knew that Allah is The Absolute Maker (Doer, Performer, Executer, Creator) of everything

And you also knew that all of the creatures constitute the world (kingdom, universe) of the Creator (All in the universe were created and owned by the same Creator)

So Look at all the creatures with the same eye (don’t make distinction among them as “good” or “bad”; consider them to be the acts or mirrors of One and the Single Allah)

And never say “This is beautiful and this is ugly”.

Salih Baba also says:  

Don’t talk against (assail, defame, malign) anything in the universe, because the Creator of the Universe is One and the Same

Don’t despise (disdain, look down on, feel contempt for) anybody, and always concentrate only on your own deficiencies.

If we want to understand the secrets of the tariqa and live (experience) it, we must behave as advised in the above mentioned verses. We must be modest and mustn’t spend the nights heedlessly. There is also another “al-Kalaam al-Kebaar”:

One day, at dawn, my life-bird awoke

Those in tariqat in the old days were always awaken (heedful) at dawn, at the time of suhoor, at the time of imsaq (the time when the day's fast begins during Ramadan), that is to say the sun never rose over them when they were sleeping. They performed regularly their tahaccud salats (mid-nigh prayers) and their daily-obligatory duties ordered by their sheikhs (rituals such as dikr and rabeta for a certain time). But, now, these duties were made easier for the disciples. For example, they were allowed to perform their tahaccud salats before the original praying-time. They can perform it just before they go to bed instead of waking up at midnight if they fear that they can’t wake up at mid-night. Though, it was made easier to perform tahaccud salats and disciples were told that they could perform it earlier than its original time, it is better and more virtuous to perform it waking up at midnight. If you can wake up, get up at midnight and perform it. It is more virtuous. If you can’t wake up and perform it at that time, then first perform it, and then go to bed. Yes…:

Take this opportunity as booty

What is booty? It means abundance. People wish that they have what they desire abundantly. What is abundance? What is booty? It is the opportunity. Then, what is the opportunity? The meaning of the opportunity mentioned in this verse is “our coming into this world only once” and “our passing through the youthfulness and the adolescence only once”. Man comes into this world once and he also passes through the youthfulness and the adolescence only once. Whatever he finds, he finds it when he is young, and whatever he earns, he earns it when he is young. Because, as a matter of fact, once he gets old, the world leaves him. The core of the problem is whether he can leave the world before the world leaves him? Because the world is in love with (adores) the youth.  It prefers the young and hates the old. It doesn’t love the old people. It loves the young very much. But, if you aren’t deceived by the world and if you don’t love it while it is in love with you, while it enjoys or adores you and while it is trying to cheat you with its coquetries, seductiveness, attractiveness, soul-striking appearances, false brilliance and gorgeousness, only then you can find what can be found and only then you can earn what can be earned in this world which is the field to be sowed or planted for the other world. Note what our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) ordains: “You should know the value of five things before five things reach you” What are they? First of all, he says: “Know the value of the youth before old age (senility) reaches you”. How can the value of the youngness be known? When you consider another hadith qudsi together with this one, it can be understood how the value of the youth can be known. What is the explanation of this hadith? “The value or strength of the worships of the young is like the light of a 300 watt- lamp or 300 candles. The worship of an old person is like the light of a candle”. That is, the worship performed when someone is young is very strong (acceptable) and very bright (luminous). But the worship performed when someone is old is very weak (peaky) and non-luminous (pale).

*           Know the value of your youth before old age reaches you.

*          Know the value of your health before sickness reaches you.

*           Know the value of your richness before poorness reaches you.

*          Know the value of your life before death reaches you.

*          Know the value of your leisure times before pre-occupation reaches you.    

He (Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad, SAW) also says that Cenâb-ı Haqq (Allah, God) divided the day into three parts for human-beings and Cenâb-ı Haqq commanded “Work for eight hours for your sustenance. Perform your worshipping duties for eight hours, and rest for eight hours” You should note that a human being has no leisure time.But he can sacrifice from his rest and sustenance (earning, working) hours for (in favor of) his worshipping hours. However, he loses if he sacrifices from his worshipping hoursin favor of his rest and working hours. Then, what does Cenâb-ı Haqq say for this type of people in the Quran (103/2)? “Verily Man is in loss”. What else does He say through the mouth of His Prophet? “Human beings are in the state of sleep. They wake up when they die”. That is, what we should understand from “human beings are asleep” is that either they don’t worship at all, or they don’t worship for eight hours, or they worship incompletely, inadequately and insufficiently. He who doesn’t worship at all is in very great loss. He who worships insufficiently is in less loss than he who doesn’t worship at all and therefore is in very great loss.

Cenâb-ı Haqq says “Man is in loss”. But, how does our prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) explain this loss in his hadith? He says “He whose two successive days are the same is in loss”. Who is in loss? Firstly he whose deeds are the same for two successive days is in loss. So, not to be in loss, man should increase his deeds and worships every day, as our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) indicated. However, man can understand the real meaning of this hadith and can escape from this sort of loss only if he benefits from the himma(t) of a murshid or of a wali (a friend of Allah). If such a himma(t) reaches you, if you are bestowed with such a himma(t), only then you can understand what this hadith really means. If a man tries to find a solution to dispose of this sort of loss without having been bestowed himma(t) by a murshid, it is impossible for him to find a solution.  Because, when a man increases his deeds every day, at the end he will fulfill twenty-four hours of the day with his deeds. Then (at this point), his two successive days will have to be the same and he will unfortunately be in loss again. Can’t we extend the hours of the day? No, we can’t! But according to this hadith, he should increase his deeds in order to escape from being in loss. So, what is the meaning of this hadith? The following verse explains it:

Our journey (spiritual travel) will take us up to “gâbe gavseyn” (to the presence of Allah)

This is the real meaning of the hadith. Otherwise, it is impossible to dispose of this loss. Behold! We have reasons and logics and we should use them!: Let’s imagine that we performed some good deeds today and increased the amount of our deeds by half as compared with the previous day and tomorrow we also increased our good deeds as compared with today … Our prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) says “He whose two successive days are the same is in loss”… When a person increases his good deeds every day, what happens at the end? The day will be fulfilled with the good deeds within ten years. A man can fulfill his twenty-four hours with good deeds within ten years. After 10 years, what else can you do to dispose of being in loss? The amount of the deeds which can be performed in a day has a limit or an end. However, the love towards Allah has no end, qurbiyet (nearness or closeness) to Allah has no end, the fear from Allah has no end, and the heedfulness towards Allah has no end. That is why Salih Baba says:

When (now that / in as much as) the Himma(t) of the friends of Allah is with us (our supporter)

When the Shah (Sheikh, leader, head, king,) Naqshbandi is ser-Hünkar (head of all spiritual leaders, friends of Allah, sultans, kings, sovereigns, rulers, Shahs)

When Seyyid Tâhâ and Sıbgatullah are in the golden chain of “spiritual masters (murshids) of this Sufi path”

Our journey (spiritual travel) will take us up to “gâbe gavseyn”

That is the truth… Among all tariqas, the highest stations and positions were attained and obtained in Naqshbandi Tariqat. These high stations couldn’t be reached in the other tariqas. When you search throughout Turkey, you will realize that all of the sheikhs taking place in the Naqshbandi Silsilah (Spiritual lineage; chain of sheikhs in Naqshbandi Tariqa starting from Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW), followed by Abu Bakr, the first Caliph and the others) are all qutub or gavs. All of them are known to be qutubs and gavs. But you should remember that in every century there is only one qutub and one gavs… Among the awliya (saints), there are some responsible for teblig (notifying the people the orders of Allah given through Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW)), there are some responsible for irshad [guiding or leading people or disciples (murids) in the right path or showing them the way to Allah], and there is a gavs and there is a qutub. This is similar to the elections. In a democratic country, first of all parliamentarians (members of the parliament) are chosen. They come to the parliament, don’t they? There are many members in the parliament. They are all chosen among the people and sent to the parliament. The situation is more or less the same for the awliya (saints). That is, awliya are like the parliamentarians. They are chosen from among people. Among awliya, some are charged with or responsible for irshad. They are similar to the ministers among parliamentarians. Gavs or gavs’ul azam who is chosen among the awliya by Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) on behalf of Allah is like the prime minister.

To repeat it again;

*               Awliya (saints) are like deputies chosen by the people

*               Those awliya charged with irshad are like the ministers

*               Gavs’ul azam is like the prime minister and

*               Qutb’ul Aktab is like the president.

These are the ranks of our tariqa, that is, of Naqshbandi Tariqa. The order of our tariqa is like the order of the Military. Its policy is like the policy of the Military, its education is like the education of the Military, and its ranks are like the ranks of the Military, starting from the unranked soldier going up to the marshal. So, in our tariqa;

Our journey (spiritual travel) will take us up to “gâbe gavseyn”

Therefore, a man can never reach the station of “gâbe gavseyn” no matter how long he lives and no matter whether or not he increases his earnings (deeds) every day as compared with the previous day. So, what is this station ofgâbe gavseyn”? It is qurbiyet (nearness or closeness) to Allah. What does it (qurbiyet) mean? It means love towards Allah? What else does it mean? It means say (exertion, ardor, effort, endeavour, struggle, and performing good deeds) to reach Allah. Why does Allah ordain “Behold? Verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve” in the verse [Younus (Jonah) in Quran (10/62)]. This verse was sent down or came about awliyaullah (the friends of Allah). There is another type of fear on them. But we can’t understand their fears of Allah. We can’t know what sort of fear they have. But, in spite of this verse saying that there is no fear on them, why are they afraid ofAllah? Because they came close to Allah, they approached Allah. The more a man gets close to the substance of the fire, the more his fever becomes. The more he moves away from the substance of the fire, the lesser his fever becomes. Getting close to Allah, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and sheikh (murshid) has this type of effects on man. “Being close to Sultan (King = Allah) is like a burning (scorching) fire”. However, being close to Sultan or Allah is also a great blessing bestowed by Allah. So what do the awliya have? They have fear. But what do they fear for? They only fear for (on behalf of) their murids. They don’t fear for themselves. Because it is said in the Quran that “for the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve”. If a murshid has 100,000 murids, he fears for all of them. He doesn’t want that they commit mistakes or that they have faults. He doesn’t want that they commit sins and consequently be chastised. He has only these sorts of fears. He doesn’t fear for himself. Therefore, notice that tariqa has its own conditions. What are the conditions of tariqa? Let’s not go further and put them aside.  Let’s learn what is necessary for us? What we need is to try to be fanâ fish-sheikh (to annihilate his being in the being of his sheikh). We aren’t able to know what happens after being fanâ fish-sheikh (annihilating his being in the being of his sheikh). So we should try to be fanâ fish-sheikh so that we can cleanse ourselves from our imperfect (deficient, incomplete, lacking) attributes. If we can’t remove our imperfect attributes, we can’t progress (proceed towards Allah). Therefore, if we want to avoid our deficient attributes, we should be fanâ fish-sheikh.

Cenâb-ı Haqq ordains; “seek the means of nearness to Him”[12]. Cenâb-ı Haqq asks us to find the means to reach Allah. But what is meant here (in this verse) is the sheikh (murshid). Let’s suppose that one has to get across an ocean or a sea. To reach his destination he needs a ship or an airplane. Otherwise, how can he get across the ocean or the sea? But there is a long way until he reaches the sea. So he has to walk along that way. The ship or the airplane would never come to his hometown or to his village or to his house to take him to his destination. To get across the sea or the ocean, he should board either on the ship or on the plane. But before boarding, he should walk until he reaches the ship or the plane. Boarding on the ship or the plane means “being fanâ fish-sheikh”. But, here, to be able to be fanâ fish-sheikh, our sharia and tariqa should be strong (we should obey and perform their rules in a complete and disciplined way). They shouldn’t be imperfect. Notice what our exalted greats say:

The duty of the Fatheris himma(t), and the duty of the son isservice (to serve)[13]

To be fanâ fish-sheikh, we need himma(t) (spiritual assistance of the sheikhs). But this is impossible without service (performing the duties prescribed in sharia and tariqa). To benefit from himma(t), we have to serve. First of all, we have sharia, and then comes tariqa. If someone is imperfect (lacks) in sharia even in the smallest of amounts, he finds no place for himself in tariqa. He should be perfect or his progress should be complete in sharia so that he can step into tariqa. Tariqa is the way taking the wayfarer (initiate, traveler, salik, murid) to Allah. But tariqa’s outward (apparent) means is sharia. So our sharia and tariqa should be strong and healthy. Then, bear in mind what is said in this respect by Salih Baba:

The mystery (secret) of the universe (the created world) can never be known, because it (the mystery) is concealed

It is a universe which turns depending on the commands (authority, domination, mastery) of four-shahs (leaders, heads, kings)

It is a kind of travel special only to ârifs (wise people; those knowing the reality of the created things and on whom the knowledge of Allah is disclosed)

For perfect man, every created thing has become a name of Allah (a kind of dhikr; a mirror showing certain attributes of Allah; something reminding Allah)

He (Salih Baba) also says:

Give-up this barzakh-world and;

See what there are behind it,

Attain The Light of Allahand dispose of all the fires, (the created bad character traits taking man to the Hell; the human-qualities seperating the spirit from Allah)

Be aware (informed) of the world of spirits

Is there a spirit in us? Yes! But, do we know how it is or what color it is? No! Do we know how it tastes? No! Do we know its shape? No! Despite our not knowing anything about it, there is a spirit in us. Can a man be aware of his spirit? Yes he can! Who can be aware of his spirit and how? What can a man see in the darkness?

Give-up this barzakh-world and (give up your false free-being which is darkness and darkens the Reality)

See what there are behind it, (see The Light behind it / see The Light behind the darkness)

What is this barzakh-world? It is humanity. What is this barzakh-world? It is the world.  If a man loves the world, if a man occupies himself with this world, it means that he hasn’t yet removed himself of the darkness or he hasn’t yet passed through (extricated himself from) the barzakh. And, if a man loves his body (his physical being), it also means that he couldn’t extricated himself from the barzakh, because his body is his humanity or his barzakh. If he loves himself (his personality, his body, his physical being), then he can’t get out of it (the barzakh) and he can’t give it up. To be able to leave the body behind (the physical substance; the human-shaped sculpture), man shouldn’t love his physical body. So, the meaning of four-shahs spelled out in the above-verse reading “It is a universe which turns depending on the commands of four-shahs” is the four-sources or proofs of the sharia [Quran, Sunna, Ijma and Qiyas]. What does our sharia transform us into? If we obey it and carry out its orders, it upgrades us from having the animal-attributes to having human-attributes. In other words, it adorns us with human-attributes. This is the meaning of “… which turns…”. It is in fact the sharia which turns us from having animal-attributes into having human attributes. But, what upgrades us from having human attributes into having angelic-attributes? What turns us? That which turns us from having animal attributes into having angelic-attributes is tariqa. What do we need in sharia? We need Quran, Sunna, Ijma and Qiyas. This is the meaning of four-shahs in sharia. And what is the meaning of four-shahs in tariqa? It is “love (affection), ikhlas (fidelity, sincerity, purification, refining), adab (spiritual courtesy or manners, modesty) and submission (resignation, giving himself up, surrendering)”. Love: You must love your sheikh very much. One day, our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) asked: “O Omar!  How much do you love me?  What is the degree of your love towards me?” Omar ibn al-Khattāb answered: “O Messenger of Allah! I love you more than anything else except my ‘self’.” Then, Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) said to him: “O Omar! Then, your faith hasn’t yet become perfect. You haven’t yet had a perfect faith. You should love me more than yourself so you can have a perfect faith.” Omar ibn al-Khattāb was one of the eminent and distinguished sahaba and of the Khulafah Rashidun (The Rightly Guided Caliphs). Therefore, when the Messenger of Allah answered him this way, naturally his love towards Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) increased and became exuberant. Then he told to Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW): “O Messenger of Allah! Now, I love you more that my ‘self’.” The Messenger of Allah answered: “Alright, O Omar! Now, your faith has become perfect. You have had a perfect faith.” Look at what Salih Baba says here:

If you want to find (obtain, reach) the essence of “the faith” (certainty in the faith) itself

Endeavor so that your being (entity) can be annihilated in the being (entity) of your sheikh and

Know Him who is closer to you than yourself

What is this? This is an “al-Kalaam al-Kebaar”. Also, Cenâb-ı Haqq ordains: “O My Servant! I am closer to you than your jugular vein”.[14] What and where is the “jugular vein”? It is a central vein in the heart of the men. It is the head of 366 veins dispersing into the body. That is to say, 366 veins diffusing into the body are attached to the head-vein which is jugular vein.

Yes! Cenâb-ı Haqq ordains “O My Servant! I am closer to you than your jugular vein”. Furthermore,Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) says “There are 70,000 curtains between the servant and Allah. The distance between each curtain is as far as the distance between the earth and the sky”. One of them is the order of Allah and the other is the order of the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad, SAW). What does this closeness expressed by Allah mean? And what does this remoteness expressed by the messenger of Allah mean? How should we understand this verse (Quran 50/16) and this hadith? How should we comprehend them? Therefore;

If you want to find (obtain, reach) the essence of “the faith” itself

You should endeavor so that your being (entity) can be annihilated in the being (entity) of your sheikh and

Know Him who is closer to you than yourself

Look! Allah is closer to us than our jugular veins. But we believe in Allah in His absence. Our belief is in absentia. Can we see Him? No, we can’t! Not only we can’t see Him, but also we forget him. And when we forget him, we go away from Him.  The meaning of this distance is “to forget Allah” and “heedlessness”. That is why our prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) says “you are far away from Allah” and “There are 70,000 curtains between the servant and Allah. The distance between each curtain is as far as the distance between the earth and the sky”. This hadith points to the heedlessness, to the heedlessness from Allah, to being heedless of Him.

Therefore, we believe in Allah in absentia. We didn’t see the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad, SAW) either. So we believe in him, too, in his absence. But, are the faiths of those who believe in a sheikh “in absentia” or “apparent”? Of course, their faiths towards their sheikhs are “apparent”, aren’t they? Those who believe in a sheikh have apparent beliefs. What do the people whose faiths are “apparent” believe in? We know that sheikhs are the beloved and the chosen servants of Allah. They are chosen from among the people and they are awliya (saints). What does “wali” (saint) mean? A wali is a substitute of a Prophet. There were also awliya [saints (substitutes)] of the prophets of the “children of Israel”. Who were they? For instance, Âsaf bin Balkiyya (Berahyâ) was one of the awliya of Hadhrat Sulaiman (Solomon). He wasn’t a prophet. He was a wali and a perfect man (al-Insân al-Kâmil (الإنسان الكامل). He brought the throne of the Queen Balkis in a very short time which lasted as short as a closing and opening of eyelids. Besides him, al-Khidr is one of the awliya of the children of Israel. He isn’t a prophet. Pay attention to what kind of authorities (powers) Cenâb-ı Haqq bestowed on him! And those authorities will be valid until the end of the world. A wali is hayy (alive) even after he changes his world (dies physically). The spirits of the awliya go out and wander around the earth and the skies. What is the difference between a wali and al-Khidr? There is no doubt that al-Khidr is also a wali. In Quran, Cenâb-ı Haqq informs us the duty and the authorities of al Khidr. The event which took place between Hadhrat Musa (Moses) and al-Khidr is narrated in Quran,[15] isn’t it? Cenâb-ı Haqq made al-Khidr drink ab-ı hayat (life-water, elixir) and consequently he hasn’t died so far and won’t die until the end of the world. If he isn’t dead, why can’t he be seen? Al-Khidr also can’t be seen the same as a wali who changed his world.  When a kâmil (one who is perfect) and mukammeel (one who himself is perfect and has the ability and the authority to make the others perfect) murshid (the Righteous Teacher) changes his world, he has the capability of being seen to the other-living men as different objects under different forms or formal existences. So, what is the difference between him and al-Khidr? In fact, in tariqa, Khidr means al-murshid al-kâmil” (the perfect murshid). See what Salih Baba says:

Go to the darkness together with al-Khidr and collect those jewel-stones (jewelry)

Al-Khidr means al-murshid al-kâmil (perfect murshid); the darkness means “the ignorant (unenlightened, unknowing, uninformed) heart”.

Jewel-stones (jewelry) mean “sharia”, so rescue your essence (spirit) from ignorance

There is also “Hadhrat Uwais al-Qarani”. He didn’t see our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) in person (his physical body). He lived at the time of Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) but he didn’t see him. But, our Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW) praised and exalted him very much by saying:  “Uwais is the mostauspicious and the highest of my ummah”. Therefore, it is said that at the times when there is no prophet on the earth, the awliya (who are the substitutes of the prophets) carried out the duties of the prophets.

The Bible was sent down to Hadhrat İsa (Jesus / Christ), the Prophet of Allah. But, how many people believed in Bible? They were only twelve apostles. One of these twelve apostles seemed to believe in Hadhrat İsa, but in fact he betrayed him. He exposed Hadhrat İsa. He said the place of Hadhrat İsa to his enemies who wanted to kill him. He said “he is here”. After Hadhrat Isa ascended (was raised alive up) to the sky (Heaven), each of these eleven apostles went to a different place. They also hid themselves. They were substitutes of Hadhrat Isa. They secretly taught and preached the Bible and Islam to the people who followed them. They guided and trained them. What did the apostles do? They spread the Bible in this way.

So, in the times when there were no prophets, awliya fulfilled their missions of spreading the religion (Islam). Cenâb-ı Haqq designated the awliya to perform this task. Therefore we should turn towards awliya. Then, if we believe in awliya (friends) of Allah … Another important point is that we can see the physical body, place (the space that they occupy) and attributes of awliya of Allah. But our belief in Allah is in absentia. To attribute a “place” for Allah (that is, to say that Allah is here or there) is kufr (impiety, infidelity, misbelief). According to our belief, ascribing an attribute toAllah with a view to defining the Essence of Him is also kufr. But, is it kufr to say that the wali (friend) of Allah is there? No, it isn’t. Is it kufr to say that “There is a wali of Allah in Istanbul and his tekke is there (at such and such address)” or “There is a tekke of another wali of Allah in Erzurum”? No, it isn’t. The attributes and bodies of awliya of Allah are apparent and can be seen by the people. But, why did Mawlânâ Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi say the following verse?

Come, come whatever (whoever) you are[16]

To whom did he tell these verses?

Come even if you are Mecusi [Even if you worship the “fire”; even if you are Come even if you are Christian,

Come even if;

- You committed a hundred sins and

-You have repented for your sins (vowed not to commit sins again) and

- You have broken your vows a thousand times  

And, at the end he says:

Come, come again whatever (whoever) you are

Why did he say this? To whom did he call (invite)? To Haqq, to Allah. His dargah is the dargah of the Haqq. That is to say, he is calling himself at his place (dargah) and in his (Mawlânâ’s) body… But in fact he who is calling him isn’t himself… It is Allah who in fact is calling his servant (Mawlânâ) to Himself. In appearance (outwardly), he (Mawlânâ) is calling… He is calling to himself… Look! Christians and all of the foreigners accept this.  These verses are said and accepted everywhere. The saying of Mawlânâ “Come, come again whatever (whoever) you are” is accepted not only by Muslims but also by non-Muslims and by seventy-two and a half “millet”s (members of all-beliefs; everybody). But how do the Muslims and non-Muslims, who couldn’t understand what these verses in fact mean, accept these words? They say that Mawlânâ called the humanity and called them to humanity”. And according to them if a man is harmless, if he doesn’t harm anybody and if he serves (helps) other people, this is the meaning of the humanity. They hold that this is the aim of the invitation of Mawlânâ. They think that these are the meanings of the words of Mawlânâ. Their understanding or commentary isn’t so bad. But this isn’t the fact! Mawlânâ called the Haqq (the reality or essence of the mankind), not the humanity. Humanity can only be realized through believing in and obeying (submitting himself to) Haqq (Allah). Why? It is because he who doesn’t believe in and obey Allah isn’t in fact or in essence a “human”. Though in appearance he is a human being, in fact he isn’t. If he was really a human being, he would believe in Allah and obey Him. Whom was the Book (Quran) sent to? To human beings! Whom was the prophet sent to? To human beings! So, he who doesn’t believe in the Book, he who doesn’t have a Book, he who doesn’t believe in the Prophet and he who doesn’t subordinate (submit) himself to the Prophet can’t be considered as a human being!

Therefore, as it was said before, a wali has a place occupied by him in the space and some attributes. A wali of Allah has attributes in appearance (outwardly) which can be seen by an ordinary man. Those apparent attributes hide the attributes of Allah. That is why the famous Turkish Sufi Yunus Emre said:

I have been covered up (wrapped with, clothed in) the flesh and bones and

I have appeared as Yunus (in the form of a human being)

In these verses, he says that “my body (substance) is composed of the flesh and the bones and they appear as Yunus”. Therefore, pay attention to what was said in Salih Baba:

He uses “the curtain composed of four-elements” (his physical body) as a veil to hide His Essence

What is the veil? The veil is a kind of cover or camouflage. What does “the curtain composed of four elements” mean? The curtain composed of four elements means “the body” of a human being composed of four components [earth (clay), water, air and fever (heat)]. What does this “body” become? It becomes a curtain. What does it (the body) curtain? It curtains the spirit; it covers and hides the spirit. The body becomes a form, mold, cover or a curtain for the spirit. But, which spirits does it hide?

       * It hides the spirits having animal-attributes

       * It hides the spirits having human-attributes

       * It hides the spirits having angelic-attributes

For instance, let’s suppose that there is a man who rebels against Allah, who doesn’t know (accept) Allah, Prophet, good or bad deeds and who commits all major sins. But, in spite of all these animal-attributes, does he still look like outwardly as a human being? Yes, he looks like apparently as if he was a human being. But, in fact, he has nothing to do with being a human being. He has inwardly animal attributes; however, his apparent body composed of four elements in the form of a human being hides his inward animal attributes and doesn’t let the people see them.

On the other hand, let’s suppose that there is another person who “enjoins what is right and forbids the wrong”[17]. He carries out what his servitude necessitates. He performs his divine services (acts of worship). He avoids all prohibitions and sins. Inwardly, he has human attributes. But his body hides also these inward human attributes. This man also has the same human appearance as the previous man having animal attributes. Pay attention to what was said in an “al-Kalaam al-Kebaar”:

In appearance, he looks like a human being, 

However, inwardly he is an animal

His body has also hidden him (his spirit having human attributes).  

And there is another group of people who are chosen from among human beings. They have reached the Haqiqa (the Ultimate Reality; the Being of Allah) through their knowledge, their deeds, their obediences to sharia and their obediences to tariqa.  Despite that such a person reached the Haqiqa, his body’s outward human shape has hidden his Haqiqa (his Reality). His outer human form doesn’t let his Haqiqa be seen. In Salih Baba it is said about those who are adorned or qualified with perfect attributes which in fact belongs to Allah:  

He uses “the curtain composed of four elements” as a veil to hide His Essence

These words were uttered for an owner of walaya (sanctity, friendship), that is, for a wali. Who said those words? The one, who perceives, believes and affirms the walaya of the owner of walaya.

He (You) use “the curtain composed of four elements” as a veil to hide His (Your) Essence[18]

O “The Precious Breath[19] of the Owner of Beneficence (of Allah)”! Aql-ı kull [20]consists of you,[21]

The trusted secret[22]  is with you, O “The One whose heart is shining like the sun” due to having that secret!

Don’t I know that Allah honored you with the secret of the verse “Allah taught Adam all the names”![23]

There is another saying of Salih Baba:

I saw a beautiful being in the city of Haqiqa (Reality)[24]

However, Unfortunately I couldn’t see anybody who saw him (my sheikh’s walaya)

Here is a similar saying of Salih Baba:

O, My Master! I saw a beautiful being not having a physical body

   He was hidden within the bone marrows and veins

O, My Master! I asked the people living in the Countries of the Beloved (Allah/Sweetheart)

And I was said that there is a secret life-giving spirit within (hidden in) the spirit.

What do these sayings mean? They point to an existence (Real Being, Entity, Presence, Secret Spirit) hidden in the awliya of Allah. Outwardly, a wali has a body like other people. But his body consisting of four elements [earth (clay), water, air and fever (heat)] becomes a curtain for his Haqiqa (Reality, Essence, Spirit) and doesn’t let ordinary people see it. It is kufr to say “Allah is here or there”. But, it isn’t kufr to say “Allah is in the heart of awliya of Allah”. On the contrary, it is haqq (true) and Haqiqa (the reality) to say it. Why is it so? It is because it is the decree of Allah. It is the prescript of Cenâb-ı Haqq. He said:

Only the heart of my mumin[25]-servant can encircle (compass, surround) Me”

Therefore, we believe in Allah. It is kufr to ascribe an imperfect attribute to Allah. He is free from imperfect attributes. It is also kufr to ascribe a space for Allah. He is free from spaces (occupying or being encircled in a place in the space), too. Cenâb-ı Haqq freed also awliya of Allah (His friends) from “time” (being imprisoned in time) and imperfect “attributes”. Therefore, it is said in Salih Baba;

If you want to find the truth of the faith[26] (If you want to reach the certainty -perfection- in the faith; if you want to believe in what you see)

You should struggle for fanâ (annihilating your existence) in the Existence / Entity / Being of your sheikh.[27]

And you should know (recognize) “He” who is closer to you than your “self”[28]


If you want to see the roses of Haqiqa (Reality)
and

If you want to taste the fruits of Mârifa (Gnosis)

Then, look at what was also said in Salih Baba:

Don’t I know that Allah honored you with the secret of the verse “Allah taught Adam all the names”?

He (You) use “the curtain composed of four elements” as a veil to hide His (Your) Essence[29]

Aql-ı kull [30]consists of you,[31] O “The Precious Breath of The Owner of Beneficence (Allah)”!

 “The Breath of The Owner of Beneficence” is a precious spirit. As for “The Breath”, it is Cenâb-ı Haqq’s (Allah’s) blowing of spirit into the man (Adam) from His Own Spirit.

The trusted secretis with you, O “The One whose heart is shining like the sun” due to having that secret!

What does this verse mean? Wali of Allah carries the light of Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW). A wali carries the miracle of his light. This is “the trusted secret” (the secret trusted to awliya of Allah).

O “The One whose heart is shining like the sun” 

In this phrase, Salih Baba says to his sheikh that his (the sheikh’s) heart is like the sun or like the full moon or he says that his heart is like the shining or luminous sun. Yes! We believe in Allah in His absence. To ascribe an imperfect attribute to Allah is unlawful, sin and kufr in Islam.  It is also kufr to ascribe a space for Allah. But Allah is in the hearts of awliya of Allah. The attributes of Allah are disclosed in awliya of Allah. In a hadith qudsi, Cenâb-ı Haqq says through the mouth of His Beloved Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW): “The seeing eyes of Our wali servant (the servant whom I accept as my friend) are Our Eyes; the hearing ears of Our wali servant are Our ears; the speaking tongue of Our wali servant is Our tongue; The reached-out hands of Our wali servant are Our hands; the walking legs of Our wali servant are Our legs; the thinking aql of Our wali servant is Our aql (aql-ı kull)…”[32]

One day, Hadhrat Ibrahim (AS) (Abraham) asked for two things from Cenâb-ı Haqq. [He is the second most loved prophet after Our Master Hadhrat Muhammad (SAW). Allah named Our Prophet as His “Habib = Beloved” and Hadhrat Ibrahim as His “Khalil = Close Friend”]. Let me tell you one of these two wishes. He said: “O My Lord! Glory be to you! I know and I believe that you are above (free) from going and coming. But, still, I wish you came to my house in this world so that I could see You and be honored with Your Presence!” Cenâb-ı Haqq answered by saying: “O, Ibrahim! I will come on such and such date”. He accepted his invitation. Hadhrat Ibrahim had many male and female servants. He mobilized them (made them work very hard) so that the house be ready for the visit of Allah. Cleaning services were finished. Foods and drinks were made ready. And they started to wait for the day when Allah would come. They were wondering about “Where Allah would come from?” That is, they were curious about whether he would he come from the sky or from the earth like ordinary people? While they were waiting for Allah, a very old man appeared. He was so old that he had become hunchbacked. He had a stick in his hand. He was proceeding very slowly and leaning upon that stick. The surrounding of his eyes was wrinkled. His hair and beard were intermingled. There were crusts round his eyes and dribbles were leaking from his mouth. And finally he arrived at the house in a very exhausted state. He said: “O Ibrahim! You know (see) in what state I am!” When Hadhrat Ibrahim saw old man’s pitiable and miserable condition, he said: “O Father! Don’t show up around here! Because, a very important guest is about to visit me. Take this piece of bread and eat it!” Thus, he drove him away. Then, he continued to wait until evening. But Cenâb-ı Haqq didn’t show up. [From where would Allah come!!!? God forbid! Of course, he doesn’t come by His Essence. Because Allah is far from coming and going.] Then, Hadhrat Ibrahim asked Allah: “O My Lord! You never break your promises. But, this time, you didn’t come despite you promised me!” Cenâb-ı Haqq answered: “O Ibrahim! I came. But you ignored me. You sent me away by giving me a piece of bread.” Upon hearing this answer, Hadhrat Ibrahim said: “O My Lord! Please forgive me. I am not aware of having done such a thing. I would never do it! How did it happen?” Cenâb-ı Haqq answered: “O Ibrahim! I am far from coming, going, eating and drinking. You know and believe in that. But, you know, there was an old man who seemed very ugly in your eyes. I came (visited you) in his heart. I was in his heart. If you had fed and offered him some drink, you would have fed Me and offered Me some drink. If you had respected him, you would have respected Me.”

In an “al-Kalaam al-Kebaar” in Salih BabaDivanı, it is said:

If you want to find the truth of the faith (If you want to reach the certainty -perfection- in the faith; if you want to believe in what you see)

You should struggle for fanâ (annihilating your existence) in the Existence / Entity / Being of your sheikh.

And you should know (recognize) “He” who is closer to you than your “self”

If you want to go beyond (transcend; get rid of) this barzakh-world

And if you want to immigrate from this barzakh-world to the eternal rose-garden[33] (the roses of which would never fade away)

It is also said in Salih BabaDivanı:

If someone isn’t aware of a sheikh (If he doesn’t commit himself to a murshid in the spiritual path taking the person to Allah)

If someone isn’t loyal and faithful (If he isn’t loyal and faithful to his sheikh or to the word he had given to Allah before having being sent to this world)

If someone isn’t fully committed (to sacrifice his life in the way of Allah or to obey and fulfill the orders of his sheik at any cost)

Where (how) can he find his “Beloved” (How can his spirit reach Allah)?

It is impossible. It isn’t possible without sharia and tariqa. Men can never get the graces[34] prepared by Allah for His servants without tariqa. We all have “aql”s (intellects). So far, so many awliya of Allah has lived and are still living. If we think seriously, we shall obviously see that none of them reached their graces without tariqa. All of them managed to possess their graces only through tariqa and their sheikhs.


[1] The words written in italic letters such as this one (suhba) are explained alphabetically at the end of the text

[2] Boons, blessings, favors, benefactions

[3] Successors, substitutes

[4] Unseen, unknown, secret

[5] Two of the sheiks taking part in the silsilah (the golden chain of sheiks of Naqshbandiyyah)

[6] These spirits are purified from accidental and defective human features and become as pure as they had been before they were breathed in men (in human shaped bodies).

[7] Considering from the point of view of ordinary people (or of a human being not being the friend of Allah), they are “pure spirits”. However, when considered from the point of view of Oneness of Allah “Their spirits are in fact “One and the Same Pure Spirit”, that is, they (their psychal bodies) are mirrors to the “Spirit (attributes) of Allah”.

[8] Hide, skin

[9] Quran 2/156: “… we are Allah's and to Him we shall surely return...” or “To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return”

[10] Quran (4/80): “He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. But if any turn away, We have not sent thee to watch over them”

[11] Two of the sheiks taking part in the silsilah, that is, in the golden chain of sheiks of Naqshbandiyya

[12] Quran 5/35: O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek the means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful.

[13] Hiimma(t) is the duty of the father and service is the duty of the son = If the son serves, the father helps him = If the son dosen’t serve, his father won’t help him.

[14] Quran 50/16: It was We Who created man, and We know what suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.

[15] Quran Verse: 60. And when Musa said to his servant: I will not cease until I reach the junction of the two rivers or I will go on for years. 61. So when they had reached the junction of the two (rivers) they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the sea, going away. 62. But when they had gone farther, he said to his servant: Bring to us our morning meal, certainly we have met with fatigue from this our journey. 63. He said: Did you see when we took refuge on the rock then I forgot the fish, and nothing made me forget to speak of it but the Shaitan, and it took its way into the river; what a wonder! 64. He said: This is what we sought for; so they returned retracing their footsteps. 65. Then they found one from among Our servants whom We had granted mercy from Us and whom We had taught knowledge from Ourselves. 66. Musa said to him: Shall I follow you on condition that you should teach me right knowledge of what you have been taught? 67. He said: Surely you cannot have patience with me.

[16]             Come, come, whoever you are,

No matter whether you are a Wanderer, an idolater, a worshiper of fire,
Come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,
Come, and come yet again.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.

[17] This sentence (enjoining what is right and forbiding what is wrong) which takes part in Quran is accepted as one of the definitions of sharia:

Quran 3/104: “And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong…”

Quran 3/110: “You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong …”

Quran 3/114: “They believe in Allah and the last day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong…”

[18] In tariqa, the essence (spirit) of the sheikh is believed to be One and the Same with the Essence  (Spirit / Real Self) of Hadhrat Muhammad and of Allah. Therefore, here, the one who use “the curtain composed of four elements” as a veil to hide His Esence” is Allah, HadhratMuhammad and -especially for the disciple- the sheikh.

[19] Quran (38-71, 72, 73, 74): 71. When your Lord said to the angels; Surely I am going to create a mortal from dust: 72. So when I have made him complete and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down making obeisance to him. 73. And the angels did obeisance, all of them, 74. But not Iblis: he was proud and he was one of the unbelievers.”

[20] Allah’s eternal knowledge which becomes apparent through Hadhrath Muhammad; The aql (intellect, reason, rational faculty) which comprehends the reality of everty thing; universal Aql

[21] The spirit breathed into your body by Allah has reached “aql-ı  kull” by getting rid of “The False Self” (human’s soul, false existence, the false dream of being existent by himself); your aql which was previously particular (personal, partial) aql is now “aql-ı kull”.

[22] The secret is “the spiritual  light of our prophet HadhratMuhammad” and this secret is trusted to awliya (friends) of Allah. Awliya of Allah are the substitutes of  HadhratMuhammad

[23] Quran 2/31-32 and 33: 31. And He taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels; then He said: Tell me the names of those if you are right. 32. They said: Glory be to Thee! we have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise. 33. He said: O Adam! inform them of their names. Then when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I surely know what is ghaib in the heavens and the earth and (that) I know what you manifest and what you hide?

[24] He says that he saw the walaya (Essence, Spirirt, Reality) of his sheikh

[25] The one who submitted himself completely to Allah; the one whose faith is perfect; the faithful

[26] The real faith; the faith itself

[27] See “Fanâ fish-sheikh”

[28] The “One” who is closer to us that our “selves” is in fact Allah and the spirit of His servant HadhratMuhammad and the spirits of HadhratMuhammad’s substitutes (sheikhs / awliya):

    Quran (50-16): And certainly We created man, and We know what his mind suggests to him, and We are nearer to him than his life (jugular) -vein.

    Quran (2-186): And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near;…

    Quran (56-83, 84, 85): 83. Then why do you not (intervene) when (the soul of the dying man) reaches the throat- 84. And ye the while (sit) looking on,- 85. But We are nearer to him than ye, and yet see not,-

    Quran (33-6): The Prophet has a greater claim on the faithful than they have on themselves

    Hadith: “I am closer to every mumin (believer) than his “self”.

    So, you aren’t the one you suppose to be. You are in fact Allah’s servant (attribute) not being seperate from Him. The “One” who exixts in you is Allah. The “One” who speaks in you is Allah. The “One” who hears in you is Allah. The “One” who thinks in you is Allah. And so on…

[29] In tariqa, the essence (spirit) of the sheikh is believed to be One and the Same with the Essence  (Spirit / Real Self) of Hadhrat Muhammad and Allah. Therefore, here, the one who use “the curtain composed of four-elements” as a veil to hide His Esence” is Allah, HadhratMuhammad and -especially for the disciple- the sheikh.

[30] Allah’s eternal knowledge which becomes apparent through Hadhrath Muhammad; The aql (intellect, reason, rational faculty) which comprehends the reality of everty thing; universal Aql

[31] The spirit breathed into your body by Allah has reached “aql-ı  kull”; your aql which was previously particular (personal, partial) aql is now “aql-ı kull”.

[32] Bukhari Ar-Riqaq (To make the Heart Tender): The Following Hadith Qudsi was narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him):

“The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: Whosoever shows enmity (hostility) to someone devoted to Me (a pious worshipper of Mine), I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works (nawafil = praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing (I become his sense of hearing) with which he hears, his seeing (his sense of sight) with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes (grips) and his foot (leg) with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it (protect him). I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take [seize] the soul of My faithful servant for he hates death and I hate to disappoint (hurt) him.”

[33] Paradise; heaven; very beautiful garden; garden of Eden; elysium; city of Allah; city of Haqiqa; the other world; hereafter; eternity

[34] Boons, blessings, favors, benefactions