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Today Friday, 17th September 2010


Zhikr in Khalwatiyya
With regard to zhikr Hazrat Aziz Mehmet Dumlu says ,
` It is narrated in the books of Hadith that Prophet Muhammad ( pbuh ) recites
Istighfaar ( seeking forgiveness ) 100 times , the Salawat-i Sharifa ( prayers
on the prophet ) 10 times and the Kalima-i Tawhid , ` La ilaha illallah ' ( th
ere is noGod other than Allah ) 300 times everyday. It was also rumoured that t
he number of kalima-i tawhid was 70 not 300.'
Zhikr is mentioned in many places in the Holy Qur'an. Some of them are as follo
ws,
` O you who believe! remember Allah, remembering frequently.'
( The Clans, verse 41 )
Islamic scholars say ` remembering frequently ' refers to `daily ritual prayer
s'. This interpretation is also correct but Hazrat Sulayman Chalabi expresses `
remembering frequently ' in Mawlud-u Sharif as follows,
With every breath continuously recite God's name
The name of God ( solves every problem / is the strongest support )
The disciples say ` Allah ' with every breath they take. Don't they ever forge
t ? Sometimes they can forget but when they remember they start it again.
` You can't cook a meal by bringing it to boil. If the water is absorbed , you
should add some or if it is overcooked, you should turn down the heat. '
Crying/tears, zhikr and tafakkur ( reflection ) are all reasonable. The importa
nt thing is that either the name of God is in the mouth of wayfarer ( in the pa
th of God ) or the love of God is in his heart. One of them always exists. Thi
s was always so and this should be so . The Turkoman dervish, great Yunus expre
sses this truth in these words, ` God's name is in the mouths, God's love is in
the hearts.'
We can also add the saying of the Greek philosopher ` Epiktetus'
` Remembering God should be continuous like taking breath. '
In the Holy Qur'an God says ,
`....................remember Allah much, that you may be successful.'
( The Co
ngregation, verse 10 )
`................surely by Allah's remembrance are the hearts set at rest.'
( The Thunder, verse 28 )
The Arabic word ` Ela ' which is the first word of the verse means certaini
ty , sureness. Although the word zhikr in the verse refers to ` La ilahe ill
allah', we see that zhikr is the love of God when we go beyond `there is noGo
d other than Allah'.
The Turkish meaning of the word ` Zhikr ' is ` remembrance ' so the lover's re
membering his love frequently is not unusual. If the loved one is God , then wha
t is better than remembering him in every breath.
Zhikr begins with ` La ilahe illallah ' ( there is no god other than Allah ) .
Then it goes on saying `Allah' ( Allah ) , ` Hu ' ( O He ), ` Hak ' ( O
Truth ) . Zhikr of Allah with the tongue pervades every cell of the body late
r . Then when the tongue says the name of God with love once, what Sulayman Cha
labi ( S leyman elebi) says happens,
If the tongue says Allah once with love
All the sins fall like leaves
If we purify ourselves of our sins like the falling leaves in autumn by saying
Allah once with love and if we don't say God's name only once but with every bre
ath and if this situation continues many years , then we should think about
what wordly and heavenly, material and spiritual gifts and examples God give
s to his beloved servant who remembers him frequently.
The great Saint Hazrat Niyazi Misri expresses the zhikr of billions of cells in
the state of spritual ecstasy as follows,
My heart dived into that sea and I became speechless
I did zhkir and my body completely became the zhikr
We will mention what is meant by the parts of the body in our teachings later.
We should think of the ecstasy of someone who keeps busy with Dhikrullah. There
is only one beloved in his heart . He forgets all but God and his previous sin
s turn into heavenly recompense and reward . That person changes a lot that he
becomes unsure whether he or the owner of zhikr does zhikr.
With regard to the zhikr Saints ( ahlullah ) unanimously said,
`The aim of zhikr is the chanting's, the chanter's and the chanted's becoming
One.'
There are so many verses about zhikr in the Holy Qur'an but we think the subjec
t is understood so we ended it by mentioning a few verses below. According to
Saints of Allah the truth is : Zhikr attains perfection when the chanting ( zh
ikr ), the chanter ( zakir ), and that which is chanted ( mezkur ) become One.
As regards manners and zhikr, Khalwatiyya Order is accepted as a path of Trut
h which prefers loud zhikr. Like all the other Sufi paths the essence of Khalwat
iyya is remembering Allah, being aware of remembering Him everywhere and every t
ime and adopting all the qualities of God and Prophet Muhammad.
To sum up, it can be said that this path of love , this great job is based on p
urifying the heart from all impurities, being banished from body (annihilating
self), adopting sublime moral characteristics and behaviours by saying Kalima-
i Tawhid ` La ilaha illallah ' ( there is no God other than Allah ), practicing
silent or loud zhikr of seven names of God ( asma), caring / observing the ef
fects of happenings on heart and nafs , reading and interpreting dreams. After H
azrat Yahya-i Shirvani, Khalwatiyya Order divided into branches and sub-branches
and the interpretations which were made by the murshids of sub-branches due to
changing patterns of time caused some small differences without changing the o
rigin of manners and zhikr. These small changes were not related with the main t
heme/ idea. They were only details.
On the path of Khalwatiyya zhikr is performed as follows,
In the first stage of purification, Nafs-al Ammara ( Commanding Nafs ) the disc
iple performs ablution and kneels down facing the Qiblah . By making rabita ( t
he heart connection to a sufi master ) he intends sincerely to perform zhikr .
Then he recites Istighfaar ( seeking forgiveness ) 100 times ( One tasbeeh ) ,
the salawat-i sharifa ( prayers on the Prophet ) 100 times and Al-Fatiha ( The o
pening ) once. He turns his head towards the right (as if he was looking over
his right shoulder ) and says ` La ilahe ' ( nafy=banishment) then bend his he
ad over his heart and striking strongly he says ` illallah ' ( isbat= proof )
and goes on performing zhikr of tawhid. When the Sufi attains to the second s
tage, Lawwama ( Blaming Nafs), he recites `Lafz-i Jalil ' which is ` Allah ' (
God ), when he enters into Mulhama ( Inspired Nafs ), he recites ` Hu ' ( He ),
when he passes through Mutmaina ( Tranquil Nafs ) , he recites `Haqq' (O Trut
h ), when he attains Radziyya ( Satisfied Nafs ) , he recites ` Hayy '( O Livin
g ), when he attains Mardziyya ( Satisfying Nafs ), he recites ` Qayyum '( the
Eternal ) , when he attains Safiyya ( Purified Nafs ), the name ` Qahhar ' ( t
he Subduer ) is inspired. The name ` Qahhar ' is not recited. It is left to God
, the owner of the Name.
Zhikr in Khalwatiyya has been performed like that for ages by Pirs. As it is in
formed above in Khalwatiyya Sayr-u suluk ( journeying back to God ) consists of
seven stages which are called Asma. Since Pirs who are inspired in Khalwatiyya O
rder have the authority to change the number of Asmas ( Names ) when they start
a new branch , one of the greats of the path, Hazrat Pir Shabani Wali, increased
the number of Asmas in Khalwatiyya from three which were, ` Tawhid al-af'al ' (
Unity of Action ), ` Tawhid al-sifat ' ( Unity of Attributes ) and `Tawhid al
-zat ' ( Unity of Essence ), to seven when he started Shabani Branch.
So we can say that there are seven stages (Asmas= Names of God ) which are Amma
ra, Lawwama, Mulhama, Mutmaina, Radziyya, Mardziyya, Safiyya in Shabani branch o
f Khalwatiyya.
First Asma which is Ammara is Nafs-i Ammara ( Carnal soul ) . The Sufi Master in
structs the disciple to recite Kalima-i Tawhid , ` La ilaha illallah ' ( there
is no God other than Allah ). By making rabita ( the heart connection to a sufi
master ) , by being inspired by his Sufi Master and by turning his head towards
left and then bending it to right, the disciple says `La ilaha illallah ' wit
h great enthusiasm.
Performing zhikr by turning head from left to right and striking it over heart
is a rule/manner. Following the rules of path is ( essential / an opportunity
) for communion with God. As Saints ( ahlullah ) say,
` If the rules are not followed, one can't get anywhere else.'
The one who doesn't follow the rules of path, can't achieve union with God in ot
her words can't get any result . For this reason the rules / manners whatever f
orm transmitted should be applied strictly.
According to the manners which are transmitted to us the disciple of first Asm
a ( the word Asma is also used to mean stage ) is in Ammara (the name of the fi
rst stage which refers to Carnal Soul) . He recites Kalima-i Tawhid, ` La ilaha
illallah ' ( there is no God other than Allah ). He turns his head from left to
right and bends his head over heart. By bringing the head strongly and repeate
dly over the heart, he makes the dead heart alive. It is like someone sleeping
. By doing this the disciple improves himself.
Istighfaar ( seeking forgiveness ) is repeated 100 times , the Salawat-i Sharif
a ( prayers on the prophet ) is repeated 100 times and Al-Fatiha ( The opening
) is said once at the beginning of zhikr. This shouldn't be forgotten. Istigh
faar cleanses the disciple's heart from the sins committed knowingly or unknowin
gly in the past. In the Holy Qur'an God says,
`................ to purify you a ( thorough ) purifying.'
( The Clans, verse 33 )
This verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad when he cleaned the Kabaa from idol
s. The Arabic word ` bayt ' used in the Arabic form of the verse above refers t
o Kaaba in Mecca. However mystical and theosophistical meaning of ` bayt ' is h
eart.
When Hazrat Muhammad entered the Kaaba, there were 360 idols / it was surrounde
d by 360 idols. He smashed the idols and throw them out. By throwing these idols
which can be touched and seen, he cleansed the hearts of all the believers who
(would) follow him till doomsday.
` Heart is sometimes like the home of idols. Don't fill your heart with the love
of worldly things, otherwise it becomes the home of idols.'
The one may be a sultan or a scholar but unless he cleanses his heart through z
hikr and love of God, in other words if he is away from spritual knowledge, zhi
kr and God's love, his heart becomes the home of idols. Because the love of worl
dly things turn the heart into a home of idols.
` The one whose heart is the home of idols have neither peace nor joy, nor lo
ve , nor enthusiasm/willingness. Because he is busy with inferior/unnecessary th
ings. '
When you look at him, he is tall, well-dressed and sober-minded. However his he
art is ruined and it is as if the home of idols. These are what is said by saint
s (ahlullah) the vanities of life. Kushadali Aziz ( k.s.) explains this as fol
lows,
Ibrahim renounced all things but saved love for God today
(Ibrahim forgot all but God today)
He gave his heart to the beloved , he no more needs/wants heart
Knowingly or unknowingly our love of wordly things depends upon the love of God.
Whether he knows it or not whatever he loves, he loves God . Love belongs to G
od. Love is reflected in everything . It envelops all existance. What is import
ant is to be aware of this . When the disciple attains a high degree of spirit
uality he realizes whatever he loves, he loves God. Then the wise disciple sees
God in everything. Their hearts are freed from worldly attachments. On this sub
ject Hazrat Shamsuddin-i Sivasi says,
I view that world of existance through the Light of Unity
I perceive what is seen from all is God
Hazrat Niyazi Misri has similar words on this subjects ,
I have seen the face of God apparent in everything
For this reason I feel happy whenever I look in this Mirror
`Idol' refers to untrue love. Gold, silver, fame, position, etc. are all idols.
These blessings -rank, station, position, wealth,etc. - which people treat as id
ols are not the idols of Saints (ahlullah). They are perfected beings who exper
ienced union with God ( tawhid ). As Shaykh Asad Effendi (k.s.) says,
What is seen from everyhing is God
( God is seen in everything )
Don't think you are seperate
According to Saints ( ahlullah ) everything is a mirror that reflects God. For t
his reason Hazrat Ismail Hakki Bursawi says,
This world is a mirror, everything is dependent upon God
God is seen permanently in the mirror of Muhammad
What Man, who is God's Khalif on earth, needs is to be wise and to cleanse his
heart from temporary wordly ease and comforts. One should fill his heart with pe
rmanent and eternal love instead of transient love.
` Majnun's love for Laila was accepted as a wordly love. However in the end it
was understood that by loving Layla he was actually loving God. '
On this subject there is the prayer of Hazrat Ibrahim ( Abraham ) ( a.s. ) , th
e father of Tawhid ( union ) ,
Then when he saw the moon rising, he said: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he
said : If my Lord had not guided me I should certainly be of the erring people.
( The Cattle, verse 77 )
` O my God! Save my heart from temporary loves which exist today but wil
l
not exist tomorrow . Please keep my heart away from them, don't fil
l my heart with them.'
You may love your house but it may burn. You may love gold or silver but the thi
ef may steal them. You may love rank or position.You may proud of your position
but the tongue has no bone and one wrong word may prejudice your position in
the society. People around you for years may disappear. These are not real love
but wordly love. A Perfect Man says,
` Thanks God ! I cleansed the dirt of wordly things from my heart by Tawhid.'
The interpretation of the verse above is ` cleansing your heart ' . There are so
many fine words related to this. A Perfect Man says,
` Sultan won't stay in the palace, unless it is in perfect condition '
God won't dwell in your heart until you cleanse it. If we invite Sultan to the
palace of our heart, the palace should be worthy of Sultan. That is we should
cleanse heart from the love of wordly things. How can heart be cleansed and upl
ifted?
Suppose that there is a garden in front of your house and there is a plum tree
in the garden. You want the sour plums of this tree to become ripe and sweet and
you want them to be delicious, loved and desired by people. You want to get rid
of these sour plums . What do you do then ? You graft a sweeter plum tree bran
ch onto your plum tree.
Everybody can't graft . He should be a specialist. You should find one and as
k him to come and graft your tree. However you need to persuade him to accept.
If you insist a lot, you then persuade him to come. He grafts a sweeter plum tr
ee branch onto your sour plum tree. The graft becomes effective after a while an
d the plum tree in your garden starts to give sweet plums. Like this Man shou
ld get vaccinated .
Saints can't be perfect without being stoned.
Trees can't give fruit without being grafted.
There isn't an uninjured / undamaged place on the back of saints . On this sub
ject a perfect man says,
For somebody's becoming a Saint, forty hadjis and hodjas who are accepted hono
urable, honest and learned will call him `misbeliever' ( will stone him ) so
he becomes a believer .
The above couplet reflects this meaning. For this reason saints hold no grudge
or hatred against people who throw them stones. On the contrary they are please
d with those who throw the stones. They don't feel resentment towards them. This
is what the perfection requires. The way to God / the path of God is so. As Niy
azi Misri expresses,
The path of love is full of trouble, each blessing ( is received after/ costs )
a suffering
Give up you if you want to reach the beloved
This requires patience, toleration and resignation. As Hazrat Niyazi Misri sa
ys,
Be Ayyub(Job) in patience, be Yaqub(Jacob) in enduring sorrow
Be a lover like Yusuf(Joseph) if you wish to reach Kenan( a place of peace )
(Kenan: an old name given to an area in the Middle East which inc
ludes Israel, Jordan, Syria)
` In enduring sorrow be Yaqub , in patience be Ayyub, in loving someone be a lo
ver like Yusuf, if you want to reach Kenan( a place of peace ).'
Prophet Yaqub(Jacob) (pbuh) suffered separation from Prophet Yusuf(Joseph).
Yusuf's brothers were jealous of him and threw him into a well. They covered
his shirt in blood and took it to Prophet Yaqub(Jacob) and said , ` A wolf d
evoured Yusuf(Joseph).' His father cried until he became blind.
` Prophet Ayyub(Job) is a symbol of patience. You must be patient like him.'
( Prophet Ayyub(Job) (pbuh) suffered from skin disease, with painful sores. Wo
rms were produced on his sores./ Prophet Ayyub's body were covered with worms. )
but he did not utter a single word of complaint. He was always patient. Even th
e books say, ` One of the worms came nearer to his heart and God says, ` O Eyyu
b! Do you have any complaints? Prophet Ayyub(Job) (pbuh) says, ` O my God! I ha
ve no complaints but one of the worms comes nearer to my heart. If it penetrates
to it, how can I love you? I am worried about this.'
The worms in the story refers to a caterpillar or a sort of insect. However it
s Sufistic interpretation is the things that happened to Prophet Ayyub(pbuh), su
fferings and torments he endured (from people). The penetrating/devouring worms
are his people.
Who throws stone to a Sufi Master? This happens because of the disciples' lack
of understanding of what was said to them. What Sufi Masters avoid mostly is b
eing wrongly understood. Sufi Masters say ` The ones who throw stone are from
us but the ones who cause this are not from us.'
While they were striping Hazrat Nesimi's skin, enemies threw stones . One of t
hose who knew Nesimi threw a bunch of roses. When Hazrat Nesimi saw this, he sai
d, ` The roses of beloved was sharper than the stones of enemies.'
Throwing stone means speaking against someone or back biting. However bad rema
rks have no influence on them. As it is said,
` Dirt can't stick on a mosque wall.'
It is always clean. Bad remarks return to their utterers. They suffer a lot. B
ecause they are innocent and honourable. They are pure like a small child in mo
ther's arms. Hazrat Gaibi expresses this truth as follows,
` The believer's heart is pure so God dwells in it. '
Their hearts are the dwelling place of God and transparent like clear water.
Throwing stones at them is the worst thing to happen to someone. This is a misf
ortune. On this subject Hazrat Gaibi says,
Never look down on Saints otherwise you get ruined
Never hurt their feelings otherwise you are ruined
They say, ` The one who falls from the ninth heaven doesn't die but the one wh
o is removed / sent away / falls from heart is ruined. If he especially falls
from the heart of a real beloved, .... . Falling from a Saint's heart is worse t
han falling from the ninth heaven.
At the beginning of the discourse about zhikr Hodja Hafiz Mehmet Effendi said th
e training in Khalwatiyya Shabaniyya consists of seven levels which are called
Asma. Now under the guidance of his teachings we will talk about these Asmas
and their meanings.
` The first step on the ladder of purification is Nafs-i Ammara ( The Commanding
Nafs ) What does ` Ammara' mean? Who is in Ammara?'
Nafs al-ammara ( Carnal Soul ) is the tendency in Man to satisfy the desires o
f Nafs. He does whatever his Nafs wants. Hurting the other's feelings, having ev
il intentions towards other's possessions and good name, trying to possess them,
breaching trust and confidence, abusing government property, which are unhuma
n behaviours, are the work of Nafs-al Ammara. Shortly it is a type of animal li
fe.
` If one causes harm to someone and takes pleasure to do it then he leads an a
nimal life.'
The one who is in the lower state of human nafs, which is Nafs-i Ammara, does e
vil things and takes pleasure in evil deed and thoughts. For those who are the s
ervants of their nafs God says in the holy Qur'an,
` And I do not declare myself free, most surely ( man's ) self is wont to comman
d ( him to do ) evil, except such as my Lord has had mercy on, surely my
Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. ' ( Yusuf, verse 53 )
God also says in the Holy Qur'an,
` And certainly we have created for hell many of the jinn and the men; they have
hearts with which they do not understand , and they have eyes with which they d
o not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear ; they are as cattle ,
nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones.'
(
The Elevated Places, verse 179 )
The mood / situation of the one who is in Nafs-al Ammara ( The first stage on
the path of spiritual purification ) is so. By reciting Istighfaar ( seeking for
giveness ) and the Kalima-i Tawhid , ` La ilaha illallah ' ( there is no God ot
her than Allah ) , with the blessing of God , the intercession of Prophet and t
he favour of the saints , the disciple uplifts to the second stage. You may wond
er why the disciple seeks God's forgiveness.
The disciple remembers the mistakes of his past or in other words his past sin
s and he comes to his senses. The one who has taken pleasure in evil deed and t
hought is sorry for his sins now . He recites Istighfaar, `Astagfirullah al azi
m' , ( seeking forgiveness ) and repents in tears and as a result he uplifts
his soul. Meanwhile the disciple has some dreams and he reports them to his Sha
ykh. His Shaykh makes their real interpretations and says, `Well-done, my son!
I sincerely wish that God accepts your prayers. We will add another Name(Asma)
to your prayer . ' He then gives the second word ` O Allah'( Ya Allah).
` Man comes from a high position.'
` God is on the side of his servants . God wants to uplift them . Because the
Man's real place is on high . '
What is it similar to? There are babies who start to walk. They crawl at first
and then take their first steps . Parents show their baby a favourite toy. The
baby takes a step . He falls, then holds himself up and takes another step. M
other doesn't give the toy to the baby to make him go on taking steps. Because
the child will take steps to take the toy.
God loves his servants a lot so he provides a similar atmosphere for them and
gives rewards and punishments . Meanwhile we feel sorrow and weep over our si
ns. The taste of tears is different in every stage. The first tears are bitter.
Because the disciple wipes out past sins. Then the taste of tears change.
We tried to express the traits of the disciple in the first stage which is Naf
s-al Ammara and the meaning of Asma (Name) which is given after being initiated
by a Sufi Master. This can also be expressed through the fine words of Hazrat
Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi,
First take initiation from a Murshid
Then save yourself from Ammara ( Carnal soul )
Go on, recite Tawhid ( La ilaha illallah )
Then arrives enlightenment /God's inspiration reaches your heart
The disciple who enters into the second of seven levels, uplifts from Ammara (C
arnalSoul ) to Lawwama ( Blaming Nafs).
Lawwama is derived from the word `Lawm'. It means to throw stones, to stone yo
urself. The pilgrims' stoning devil on the 1st , 2nd and 3rd days of Bairam afte
r slaughtering sheep symbolizes this . They throw stones to their evil deeds and
thoughts. In other words the pilgrims stone the devils inside them. The sto
nes are symbols.
` They overcame their nafs. If you want to subjugate your nafs, stone the devil
inside you.'
There are three stone pillars which are big , middle and small devil. The b
ig devil represents Hazrat Ibrahim(Abraham)(a.s.)'s Nafs, middle devil represe
nts Hazrat Hajar's Nafs and the small devil represents Hazrat Ismail's (a.s.) N
afs. Because they were not defeated by their Nafs. Pilgrims stone their previous
sins in other words the devil inside them to overcome their Nafs. They truly
repent their past sins which they took great pleasure while doing. They beseech
and implore God by saying , ` I mustn't have done that sort of things, they are
undesirable / they don't fit me .' They shed tears ( over their sins ) and say,
` O my God, I obeyed ( the desires of ) my Nafs. If you don't bestow mercy on
me, I can't save myself from this complicated situation.
God says , ` My servant repents for his past sins. He sheds tears and asks fo
rgiveness and help. He didn't know or recognize me in the past. For this reason
he made mistakes, he commited sins. He disturbed others. He hurt their feelings
. He took the wrong way. But today he repented and became wiser. He started to
blame his Nafs.' And then God changes his evil deeds and bad manners into good
deeds. This also shows that God's mercy and love towards his people are infinite
. In the Holy Qur'an God says about the second stage, which is Lawwama ( blaming
nafs ),
` Except him who repents and believes and does a good deed; so these are they of
whom Allah changes to evil deeds to good ones; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful
.'
( The Distinction, verse 70 )
By saying ` illa men tabe ( except him who repents....)' the disciple promised
not to do evil deeds again and became a true believer and by saying ` ve amene
ve amile amelen saliha ( ...and believes and does a good deed )' he continued t
o do good deeds ` fe laike( these are they of whom )' . As a result by his great
mercy God changed the servant's past mistakes and sins into good deeds ` yubeddi
llullah seyyiatihim hasenat ve kannallahu gafuran rahima.( Allah changes to evil
deeds to good ones ; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful )'. He cleansed him from
all bad deeds and changed them into good deeds.
It is impossible to tell the greatness of God's mercy and love. Hazrat Mawlana
expresses God's love to his servants as follows,
` God loves his servants so much that........ God loves his servants so much th
at...... and God is so merciful to his precious servants that ......... If his s
ervants know God's love for them is so great, even the old people hop and jump
like children while walking. It is a pity that they are not aware of the greatne
ss of God's love for them.'
To sum up, in the second stage, which is Lawwama, the disciple starts to recit
e the word `Allah' in addition to Istighfaar ( seeking forgiveness ), the Salaw
at-i Sharifa ( prayers on the prophet ) and the Kalima-i Tawhid. He recites ei
ther ` La ilahe illallah' or ` Allah' in the shopping area , in the market , at
home shortly everywhere . He also has some dreams . He avoids evil deeds even ev
il thoughts. He passes from the world of multiplicity and moves towards unity.
` Look , all rivers run to the sea.'
There are many letters in ` La ilahe illallah'. However there are five letters
in `Allah'. This also shows the disciple's moving towards unity. The monothe
ist believes and accepts that there isn't any other power or existance other tha
n God. Getting true knowledge of God raises the disciple to a level of perfecti
on. The divine knowledge he heard from his Sufi Master dwells in his heart.
In the second stage the disciple starts to perceive the incommunicable and com
municable attributes of God in afaq ( the world of nature ) and anfus ( the wor
ld
of self ). By saying , ` I haven't got anything. My body which is made up of fle
sh, bone and a shovel of earth is your instrument ' , the disciple truly express
es his inexistance but God's existance. God expresses this truth in the Holy Qu
r'an as follows,
` Say ; He, Allah, is One .' ( The Unity, verse 1 )
In this stage Niyazi Misri says,
" Every single atom says ` I am God.' "
Each particle in the world says ` One' or ` God' and does His tasbeeh .
We will end the second stage with the words of Hazrat Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, one
of the Poles( qutb ) of Islam ,
In the second stage God's name is recited
Sins are replaced by good deeds
The attributes of God are perceived in this stage
Then arrives enlightenment/God's inspiration reaches your heart
On the Sufi Path attaining the second stage without being initiated by a Sufi
Master is the work of the learned who have high moral values. However they are
very rare. As Pir Sultan Abdal says,
This path is not the blind's but the eyed's
This rose is not the thorn's but the nightingale's
Call your Pir when you are in trouble
If he doesn't come, he is not yours
The disciple enters upon the third stage of purification which is Mulhama ( In
spired Nafs) . In this stage , Nafs-i Mulhama, nafs is cleansed little by little
and the soul becomes purified. Nafs starts to be filled with human virtues. Yo
u may wonder what these human virtues are. We can explain this with one of the h
adiths of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh),
` Adapt all the moral qualities of God and his Prophet. '
Human virtues are adopting God's and Prophet Muhammad's manners and moral qu
alities. It is the good behaviours' taking the place of hatred , passion , grud
ge, hypocrisy and the other animal characteristics. In other words the disciple
stops performing bad deeds. This occurs because of the light of Tawhid. Because
the disciple recites the Name ` Hu ' in addition to Istighfaar , the Salawat-
i Sharifa , the Kalima-i Tawhid, and lafz-i Jalal( Allah).
There are many letters in ` La ilahe illallah '. But the number of letters decr
ease to five in the word ` Allah '. They decrease to one in the Name ` Hu ' (
O He ) . What is `Hu'? It is a pronoun. It is a belonging from the past. In T
urkish it means `it, this, that '. O Allah.... We can explain this a bit more:
At the end of the phrase ` La ilaha illallah ' there is the letter `h'. This
is the short form of ` La ilaha illallahu'. The last letter of the phrase, is
written as ` Huve' in Arabic. However it is read as ` Hu' . This means `he'. O A
llah ( O He )...... There is no God but Allah.
Muhammadu'r Rasulullah ( Muhammad is the Messenger of God ). For this reason Ha
zrat Muhammad ( pbuh) was a mirror reflecting Divine Essence. One of the schola
rs asks Ahmad Amish Efendi ( k.s. ), an old Khalwatiyya Pir,cting back the Divi
ne Essenreflecting back the Divine Essenc
` Sir/ My master, you always talk about oneness but isn't there twoness in Kali
ma-i Tawhid? What sort of pantheist are you ? '
He says, ` It is ` La ilaha ill-Allah Muhammad Rasul-ullah ' . One of them i
s his Essence and the other is his attribute. '
But one must also know the truth that Hazrat Muhammad ( pbuh ) is God's servan
t as well. So the definition of servant is understood . The divinely-inspired m
eaning of `being a servant' is ` being inexistent '.
`How can your image in the mirror or the shadow behind you be another existan
ce.'
For this reason Hazrat Muhammad ( pbuh ) was a perfectly polished mirror that r
eflects God. Shaykh Galib, the disciple of Ali Nutki Dede, from Kutahya expres
ses this truth as follows,
My master, you are Ahmad-i Mahmud u Muhammad Mustafa
My master, you are a polished mirror reflecting God
It should also be known that Shaykh Galib was the first person who uttered the
title `Our Master' ,`Effendi' to our holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad ( pbuh ).
` The third stage (Asma), O he ( Hu) , is a fire , a love , an ocean.'
After this explanation let's mention another characteristic of the third stage,
` Hu '. One should be careful while reciting ` Hu '. If it is recited methodica
lly, it burns you. Because it is a fire. So how should we recite it? With half
open mouth, extend the tip of the tongue forward to touch the back of the upper
row of front teeth and take in a full belly breath and say `Hu' .
I will tell you something that happened to me as a recommendation for you.
I was giving great importance to the third stage, ` Hu ', when I was a discipl
e. One day I smelled something burning. I went somewhere different but there
was the same smell. I wondered whether the smell came with me everywhere. I c
hanged my place and went 100 metres away but there was still the smell of so
mething burning. Then I visited the great person, Nuri Elifoglu (Alifoglu) from
Kutahya.
I said ` My dear! I have a problem.'
He said smilingly, ` What is it , Hafiz Effendi ?
` As you know I smell something burning wherever I go and it seems as if it
comes with me. '
With his sweet smile he said,
` My son, the smell comes from you . You are burning from the inside.'
The fine words of Hazrat Niyazi Misri at this stage are worth repeating,
The one who has your love always cries
Tears fall from his eyes, he burns and becomes fire
Whose heart a drop of God's love falls in , burns in love. Love conquers and o
ccupies the whole body. The word `Love ' ( Ashq ) was adopted from the Persian i
n the Seljukian period. This Persian root word is pronounced as ` Isk (Ishq)' in
Persion and means ivy.
` Short time after planting, ivy covers the surface of a building. Likewise ivy
a single drop of love which falls into someone's heart burns/conquers his who
le body.'
Only a single drop of love burns the whole cells immediately. To emphasize the w
ord `Isk', Seljukian changed its pronounciation as ` Ask(Ashq)'. The meaning
of `Ask(Ashq) ' in Arabian is Love. In the holy Qur'an God says,
`....... He shall love them and they shall love Him, ..........'
( The Dinner Table,
verse 54 )
`..........and those who believe are stronger in love for Allah.........'
( The Cow, verse 165 )
The Arabian version of the verse the word ` Esedd (Ashaddu)' which means ` very
strong' is used. Everybody says we believed but is the degree of their belief
the same? No. There are three types of belief:
1- The belief of common people : This sort of belief is on the tip of the ton
gue.
2- The belief of enlightened people : Their belief is high.
3- The belief of holy people : This is the belief of prophets especially Prophet
Muhammad's and the belief of saints who came after him. This sort of belief is
called perfect belief.
` Whatever the circumstances and conditions are saints' belief and love are so
strong.'
The holy people's in other words prophets' and saints' belief is a belief which
is effective in every drop of their blood, every part of their heart and thei
r every cell. The one who has this sort of belief has the ability to perceive a
nd distinguish. This sort of belief distinguishes truth from untruth , good from
bad, bitter from sweet, unbelief from belief.
In the above verse by saying ` those who believe are stronger in love for Alla
h ' God mentions strong belief , the belief of saints. One can not be a true be
liever by the belief on the tip of his tongue. You should prove this. Because Go
d says, ` I don't believe when you say I believed. I test you and I want to lea
rn the degree of your belief.'
` Your belief should be like fir, box or olive trees which never drop their lea
ves in the autumn and which survive in cold winters and hot summers.'
How does God test us? How does he test whether we have belief or not ? It is u
nderstood from our response to misfortune. Good fortune and misfortune are both
from God. When something bad happens to us, we should immediately say, ` My Go
d, this comes from you ' and we should bear it. This is ` the firm belief ' ( h
abli metin ). At this stage of purification Yunus's following lines are remar
kable,
O eternal sultan, O the ever-lasting One
O you whose grace is much, whose sorrow is nice - both your grace and sorrow are
pleasent for me
Everything that comes from you- either a rose or a thorn- is pleasent
It can be a garment or shroud - both your grace and sorrow are pleasent for me
The belief of the one who sees good fortune and misfortune same is a perfect b
elief. Faith ( Iman ) and Islam mean resignation to the will of Allah. At this
stage Niyazi Misri says,
The one who can't see fortune and misfortune as One suffered
The one who is freed from this pain understands us
The ones who can't see them as one and who fail to understand they are from God
suffer. The ones who understand this and get rid of this pain are the wise. The
y are the ones who know God.
After giving detailed information about the third stage, we can express the ess
ence of it shortly as follows ,
The name `O He' ( Hu ) which is recited over heart methodically inspires love
and affection in the disciple and burns him. Thus, the disciple sees unity in
multiplicity and his heart burns. Because `O He' ( Hu ) is universal manifest
ation ( mahzar-i kull ). It is all. Who's God? God is universal being ( Allahu A
llah ). He is ` Allahu haluku kulli shain'. Where can you reach by reciting `O H
e' ( Hu ) ? We can also explain this by the lines of Hazrat Muhyiddin-i Arabi,
In the third stage he recites ` Huvallah'
He warbles continuously like a poor nightingale
Find God inside your own body
Then arrives enlightenment /God's inspiration reaches your heart
The third stage, O He' ( Hu ), lasts many years . One of the greats of our wa
y, Haji Ali Riza Effendi Aziz (k.s.), from Oshaq is said to have passed through
the third stage in 30 years. I passed through it in 18 years. His passing throug
h it in 30 years, my passing through in 18 years or someone's passing through i
t less than this is not unusual. This is a matter of time and manifestation ( ta
calliyat ). Because there is heavenly manifestation in every body. This is the w
ork of God. This is divine work.
Hazrat Niyazi Misri explains this truth through these fine lines,
Practise the zhikr of Sama (whirling ceremony) by saying ` Hu ' burning burning
Feel the pleasure of God's love by saying` Hu ' burning burning
All the saints lifted the veils by saying ` Hu '
They opened their eyes by saying ` Hu ' burning burning
They perceived `Hu' fills the seventy-two nations
They are inspired by every ` Hu ' by saying ` Hu ' burning burning
They found God, they met by saying `Hu ' burning burning
The beloved was seen from everywhere by saying ` Hu ' burning burning
O Niyazi, favour fills the hearts of lovers
From the tank of hidden treasure (kuntu kanz), by saying ` Hu ' burning burnin
g
The fourth stage is Mutmaina ( Tranquil Nafs) . The disciple recites the name
`Haqq' (O Truth ) in this stage. The fourth stage is the secret of ` Mutu ' (de
ath) . In a hadith Prophet Muhammad says,
` Die before you die '
This is the secret of this stage. What does ` die before you die' mean? People
have animal characteristics from birth. These characteristics pass on to us
through the sort of meat we eat. We eat veal or lamb. If you eat veal, the ch
aracter of calf , if you eat lamb, the character of sheep, if you eat the meat
of camel, the character of camel passes on to you. These characteristics start
to pass on to Man in the mother's womb and then pass through mother's milk. This
exists in Man as a rule of world. A western writer, Carilla, expresses this a
s follows,
` Every Man has the characteristic of one of the animals from oyster to elepha
nt.'
The secret of Mutu ( death ) is , being purified of animal characteristics co
mpletely and adopting human or divine qualities in other words adopting the qua
lities of God and Prophet Muhammad . In this stage while the disciple recites
the name `Haqq' (O Truth ) , the meaning of it becomes his joy . All the cells
of his body recite the name `Haqq' (O Truth ) like tongue.
Not only the tongue recites ` La ilahe illallah , Allah , `O He' ( Hu ) , `Haq
q' (O Truth) '. It starts in tongue but then the cells awake. Man has billions
of cells and they are all asleep. We can examplify this as follows : Think of Is
tanbul with a population of 15 million people. Millions of people are asleep at
night in 8-10 storey apartments like boxes of matches. People who are asleep are
alive because they take breathe. Like Istanbul with a population of 15 million
, cells are asleep. Prophet Muhammad says in a Hadith,
` The people are asleep; when they die, they wake up.'
In the fourth stage reciting the name `Haqq' (O Truth ) warns / alerts the cel
ls. The cells which become awake starts to recite the name `Haqq' (O Truth ). In
the fourth stage not only the disciple's tongue but also all his cells recite `
Haqq'. Billions of cells- blood, fat, bone, nerve and vein, etc. cells - do zhi
kr together. In Sufi terminology this is called ` Continuous Zhikr ' (zhikr-i da
im). The disciple is engaged in zhikr both he is awake and asleep. In the holy Q
ur'an God says,
` Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and ref
lect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord! Thou hast not creat
ed this in vain! Glory be to Thee; save us then from the chastisement of the fir
e.'
( The Family of Imran, verse 191 )
The disciple who is in the fourth stage recites the name of God 24 hours.
When the heart enters the ecstasy of sea of mysticism and the ocean of union
every part of the body starts to recite God's name. We start to recite ` Allah
' with tongue but then the tongue becomes speechless. And then we see that every
part of the body recites ` Allah, illallah, Hu '.
The tongue's becoming speechless refers to feeling great amazement and joy and
feeling ecstasy because of being engaged in reflection (tafakkur). At the end
the disciple hears all his cells' reciting ` Allah '.
Another verse about the fourth stage says,
` O soul that art at rest.'
( The Daybreak , verse 27 )
` Itminan' means ` very high degree of satisfaction' in other words ease of he
art as a result of perceiving the existance of God in every single atom in afaq
( the world of nature ) and anfus ( the world of self ). How did he perceive? T
hrough the eye of wisdom.
` Everybody has eyes but there is an eye which is for vision.'
In this stage the items which the disciple sees are the same as what the ordina
ry people see. However there is a difference between their perceiving them. The
people see the mountain, stone, water, ground, sky, etc. In this stage the wis
e one / disciple also sees them but he perceives their meaning as well.
` There is a look which is only to look but there is another look to see. '
In the Holy Qur'an the ones who have that sort of look are called ` ulul absar
' which means those who have vision. In this stage the disciple perceives the
unity of God in everything. Doubt, uncertainty and hesitation ends. Why? Becaus
e he witnessed. He saw God in everything.
` One can not feel satisfaction without seeing it through his own eyes . And
he can't overcome his doubt or hesitation.'
For this reason seeing occurs in the fourth stage. Seeing refers to having grea
t capacity for understanding and perceiving. On this subject in the Holy Qur'an
God says ;
`.............and He is the Knower of subtleties, the Aware. '
( The Cattle, verse 103 )
It can also be called foresight. The disciple sees all the secrets of God in hi
m.
At this stage Hallaj-i Mansur said ` Anal Haqq ' which means `I am God '. Beca
use of saying these words his head was cut off many centuries ago. According to
Islamic Law, this is right and it should be done. When he came to his senses (af
ter practising great ecstasy) Hallaj-i Mansur offered this by saying, ` This wo
rd is against Shari'at. Then why are you waiting? Why don't you cut off my head
?' On this subject Hazrat Mawlana says,
Mansur said ` I am the Truth '
Not Mansur but God said it
The one who said the word `God' became God himself ( Hallaj had been annihilate
d, so those were the words of God ). We can examplify this on the following exam
ple, if a piece of metal stays long in the fire, it looks as if fire. You can
not see it apart from fire . If you take the hot metal from fire and put it asi
de and let it cool, it looks like metal again.
Mansur's saying ` I am the Truth' is the state when the metal is in fire. The m
etal's becoming cool refers to Mansur's coming to his senses. Then Islamic Law
became effective.
When the metal turns into a reddish color in the cinder, it is no more a metal.
When Mansur said, ` I am the Truth', regarding the spritual ecstasy and stage
he is in, he said the Truth. These words are the result and reality of Mansur's
stage.
Hazrat Mawlana says, ` Saying ` I am God ' is showing modesty.' If Hallaj-i Ma
nsur hadn't said, ` I am God ', would he have said falsehood ( batil )? What's
in the image of falsehood ( batil)? There is an old saying of a Perfect Man w
hich is , ` Everything goes in accordance with God's plan, don't take the wrong
way, fool. Everything is God. All existence, seen or unseen is the manifestation
of God. However, God hides himself from creation.
The believers are hidden in high , the eternal is hidden in the Eden
The secrets are hidden within substance by you , my God.
When Mansur realised this mystery, he said ` I am God '. Is he the only one who
said `I am God'? No. Every Saint attains and passes through this stage. It is n
ot necessary for all of them to say, ` I am God '.This is a spritual joy between
God and himself. It doesn't matter whether his tongue says it or not because al
l his cells recite this. Hazrat Niyazi Misri expresses this Truth as follows,
The cry of ` Anal Haqq ' is heard from every part of the body
God says, ` Hu ' in the ocean in me
In his Nutk-i Sharif Hazrat Muhyiddin-i Arabi says,
Attain the fourth stage
Find the mystery of ` Anal Haqq ' in your heart
Die in this stage before you die
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
When you attain the fourth stage, you will find the secret of ` Anal Haqq ' in
other words the greatness and power of God in your heart. Because Man is ` Sirr
al-Asrar ' which means secret of secrets. In other words the place where secre
ts are hidden. That's why he is the most honourable of all existence . Man is
at the summit.
To sum up, in the fourth stage the disciple dies practising the secret of `
Mutu ' (death) ' . Henceforth the one who holds through disciple's hand, sees th
rough his eyes, speaks through his mouth and performs through him is God. He
exists no more but God exists. At this stage the disciple manifests God and uni
tes with him. In Sufi terminology this is called `Fanafillah' which means abso
rption in God.
` If you pour a glass of water into sea, it disappears from sight but it becom
es sea. '
Let it not be misunderstood. If we think of God as sea and the disciple as a sin
gle drop of this sea, likewise the glass of water's becoming sea by pouring it,
the disciple unites with God in the fourth stage and becomes selfless . He knows
himself after having seen it. ( The eye of certainity.) There are three ways of
knowing God.
1- The knowledge of certainity (ilm al-yaqin): To know something after having h
eard it described.
2- The eye of certainity (ain al-yaqin ): To know something after having seen i
t
3- The truth of certainity ( haq al-yaqin ): To know something after having ex
perienced it.
In the fourth stage the disciple knows God through the Eye of Certainity so he
becomes a witness. The one who sees and the one who is seen are the same. Both
of them are God. He is no more a seperate existence.
` If you fill different kinds of glass vessels with water and put them in a col
d place, the water becomes frozen. Ice doesn't have its own shape. It is made
from water.
Water can be put in any vessel and it takes the shape and colour of any vessel
it is put in. Because water is the main element. Ice doesn't always exist but wa
ter does. Ice is the frozen form of water .
In the fourth stage the disciple is like ice which melts and becomes water ag
ain. He hasn't got his own body. Water has joined water. God is his mouth with w
hich he speaks, God is his ears with which he hears, God is his seeing with whic
h he sees and God is his body with which he performs. In a Hadith Qudsi God says
this truth as follows,
` My servant draws near to Me with religious duties and supererogatory works so
that I am his hand with which he strikes, his seeing with which he sees, his mo
uth with which he speaks and I would surely grant him fountains of wisdom which
flow from his heart to his tongue.'
You found a Perfect Man and joined his gathering . He has been speaking for
hours. His words don't end .He isn't tired of speaking . He doesn't get bored
of it. His words flow abundantly. They are limitless. He speaks so well. Listen
ers are enchanted . Everybody is getting inspiration from him. This man is gran
ted fountains of wisdom which flow from his heart to his tongue. Fountain of wis
dom is the love of God. God speaks through him. For this reason his speech is
charming.
` Likewise the flutist who blews in nay God speaks through the disciple who att
ains the fourth stage. '
(The one who looks from outside can see him. / They are apparent.) Prophets and
saints are not physically different from ordinary people. They are made of fles
h and bone, too. They eat and drink, too. They get married , too. They engage in
trade or they are interested in art, too. When Prophet Muhammad declared his pr
ophethood in Mecca , the polytheists of Mecca and even his relatives said,
` We eat and so does he. We get married and so does he. We engage in trade and
so does he. What sort of Prophet is he ? '
` They said this because they didn't know the secret of Man and they had diff
erent expectations about prophets' physical structure. So if Prophets are not in
human form which form will they be? Will they be in the form of camels or eleph
ants? Is there anything which is greater than Man among all creatures? '
Prophethood and sainthood are the works of heart. They are in the heart. Becaus
e earth and heaven can't contain God. In a Hadith Qudsi God says,
` My earth and my heaven contain me not, but the heart of My faithful servant co
ntains Me. '
We should define the believer whose heart can contain God. This true believer
is the Perfect Man. Because he has a high faith. This means; God manifests himse
lf in the heart of the one whose faith is perfect. So what is manifestation? In
Sufi terminology manifestation refers to borning. It is the inspiration of th
e heart. Bektashis call this ` Birth of Father / Borning Father / Manifestation
of a Master '. God manifests himself and speaks through the believer . We should
underline that the aim is the love of God.
Isn't the holy Qur'an manifestation of God? Was there a printing press in the h
eaven? Was it published there? And did Gabriel get it from the heaven and deliv
er it to Prophet Muhammad(pbuh)?No. The Holy Qur'an was manifested to Prophet Mu
hammad's heart. Manifestation occured through revelation.
Gabriel is a Messenger in this happening. So we should define Gabriel. What is
it like? It is like mind . If so? Doesn't mind solve problems? Think of a mind
with which one attains enlightenment. This is the mind of prophets and saints.
Saints (ahlullah) called this `Foresight' or ` Common Sense ' . This sort of m
ind thinks of creation , the beginnings and the end. This sort of people are m
entioned in the Holy Qur'an as ` Pure Hearted ' .
` Except him who comes to Allah with a heart free ( from evil )'
( The Poets, verse 89 )
That's why the ones who looked for prophethood and sainthood in physical stru
cture failed. Because they looked for prophethood and sainthood in a wrong plac
e. The words `Human Being ( Insan )' and `Man ( Adam )' are different. Human be
ing is the name of our physical structure. For example, if you blow a balloon up
, tie it with a string and let it go, it goes up. Air is hidden in it. If we cal
l the air in the balloon Man, then the balloon itself is a human being.
Man carries the secret of God. He has within himself the Divine Essence. He is
not only granted his essence but also he is granted his actions, names, marks an
d all his attributes. All of them come together in Man. All these attributes be
long to God. They all assemble in Man , in his physical body. Prophethood and sa
inthood are not in this physical structure. It is in the heart of this physical
body. Heart exists for spirituality. If there isn't spirituality in the heart ,
it isn't called heart.
` What is heart ? It is an organ that pumps blood through the body. It is onl
y a piece of flesh. Rabbits also have that sort of heart. '
For this reason the wise, the lovers of God and saints said these words. Hea
rt is also the main subject of Divans (collections of poetry).
O my God who strolls in the city of my heart
O my God who looks through the throne of tongue's palace
In Niyazi Misri's Divan heart is expressed as follows,
O my heart , let's find the way to God
Be an expert in sorrow and practise the heartfelt sigh
Find the sun and moon in the city of heart
If you are (Adam/a Perfect Man), see the face of God
Wherever you look, see the beautiful face of God
The fifth stage is ` Radiyya ' ( Satisfied Nafs ) . In this stage the disciple r
ecites the name ` Hayy '( O Living ) heartily and with all his cells trembling
. Reciting it even trembles someone from head to foot. This is like throwing a
stone into still water . It makes it active. From now on it becomes eternal in o
ther words it becomes immortal. Although the body dies one day, the soul is immo
rtal. This truth is finely expressed in the words of a Perfect Man,
I asked the eternal life to a Grand Shaykh
When he said die before you die , I understood
The disciple started to learn the secret of Mutu ( death ) in the fourth sta
ge and then he became immortal. His mortal part is his body . It doesn't even d
ecay many centuries. Earth treats it as a guest.
` Likewise the clothes and swords of sultans having been kept in the museums fo
r years, the earth keeps the body of a saint. Because his body becomes Light and
it becomes `Ismi Azam '(the name ofthe most High).
The dead bodies of saints are elastic. They don't fall in pieces or decay. I
f it is asked why it is like that, the answer is; ` they become immortal / atta
in salvation by reciting the name ` Hayy '( O Living ) '. The noble body ( vuc
ud-u sharif ) becomes earth many years later and it returns to its origin.
At this stage Farz and Sunnah unite. Farz is divine ordinance and Sunnah is
practise of Muhammad. In this stage the disciple see both the same. He gives as
much importance to Sunnah as Farz . He performs Sunnah as Farz. Because for h
im both of them become the same. One of them is his essence and the other is his
attribute. They become One. I can only explain this subject that much. The wise
understand the rest of it.
At this stage the disciple perceives God's reasons as well. How many? So many?
What is important is to see and understand his reasons. Because there is wisdom/
hidden cause in every work of God. We can perceive this or not. We may accept or
refuse it but the disciple who attains the fifth stage doesn't see anything unr
easonable. Everything is a manifestation of the divine will. He never interferes
with anything or says anything about it. He meets everything with pleasure. Be
cause in this stage the disciple has no longer a body of his own.
` Everything is under the control of God. Without God's will , neither a leaf m
oves nor someone says a letter or do something to someone.'
In the fifth stage the disciple is aware that everything is God's will so he n
ever talks against anything . He examines the events and tries to see their rea
sons. He becomes aware that there are thousands even hundred thousand reasons
behind one reason and he starts to perceive them. In his Nutk-i Sharif about sev
en stages, Hazrat Muhyiddin-i Arabi emphasize this truth by saying ,
There you see thousands of reasons
Then there is only one thing left to do for the disciple in the fifth stage an
d that is viewing.
In this stage the disciple has foresight and he watches through the window of
his heart. As long as he sees, perceives and experiences it, the pleasure, happ
iness, love, enthusiasm and manifestation in him give good smells like morning
wind.
We shall also summorize the meaning of the fifth stage through the fine words o
f Hazrat Muhyiddin-i Arabi,
The fifth stage is the station of life
Farz and Sunnah unite there
There you see thousand reasons
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
In the sixth stage the disciple recites the name ` Qayyum '( the Eternal ) .`
O Qayyum , O Qayyum, ..... ' In this stage he becomes aware of the secret of Sa
ints. Because he is a Saint as well. The disciple attains to saintship at the en
d of the fourth stage so he has already been a Saint in the sixth stage. Since
the saints move towards perfection (takamul) as well and since the pleasure
and joy of it is limitless, the disciple feels pleasure within pleasure and jo
y within joy.
The perfect men didn't generally reveal divine secrets. Gaibi Sunullah from Kut
ahya expresses this subject as follows,
They didn't divulge the secret of oneness ,
The secret of God was always hidden from public
On this subject there are fine words of the wise, ` Giving the trust to its re
al owner is being loyal to the owner. Giving the trust to immature is betrayal o
f trust.'
The lines which Hazrat Muhjiddin-i Arabi said about the sixth stage are as foll
ows,
Come and see the state of the sixth stage
Learn the secret of saints
Dive into the lake of water and life.
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
For this reason neither my time nor my power is enough to tell the secret of sa
ints. This is quite a difficult work. This is divine secret. On this subject th
ere is a line of a Perfect Man,
` If the secret of God is divulged, the whole world shakes.'
If the secret of God can be expressed quite so openly in words, the whole world
shakes. At this stage Hazrat Muhammad(pbuh) has a hadith,
` If I tell you all the secrets of God, you deny me.'
For this reason God sanctifies their secrets and for the saints, who are the h
eirs of the prophets, he says, `They are my friends, they are my brides'.
Hazrat Muhyiddin-i Arabi expresses the seventh stage through these fine words,
The seventh is `Qahhar ' , Wahid ul-Qahhar (the All-Vanquishing)
The mysteries are unveiled, there is no more others
The beloved manifested himself in Me
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
In the seventh stage the name `Qahhar ' ( the Subduer ) is inspired to the disc
iple. As we informed before, the name `Qahhar ' ( the Subduer ) belongs to God'
s essence. The disciple's being in the seventh stage is said to him but he does
n't recite the name `Qahhar'.
The seventy thousand veils between God and the servant are lifted. The light of
oneness ( tawhid ) burns all veils. Hazrat Haji Bayram-i Wali expresses this tr
uth as follows,
My bairam is now, my bairam is now
Now is the bairam of me and the beloved
Thanks God, Thanks God
My heart celebrated the Bairam with God
Bairam means joy and communion with God ( vuslat ). The disciple reaches real
pleasure, satisfaction , delight and spritual joy. He gets rid of veils.
This matter can only be expressed with words like that. Because words are not e
nough to tell the divine secret. Hazrat Mawlana wrote Fihi Ma Fihi, Divan-i Kabi
r and many volumes to tell `the secret of Man'. At the end he understood that no
matter how many books he wrote, he couldn't express the secret of Man complet
ely so he decided to keep silent and said the rest of it is ` Sama and Raks '.
Things which were written and said by hundreds of Perfect Men on this subject a
re still less than the things which couldn't be written or said.
`Allah will give us al-tawfiq (guidance) to the right path.'
In his last lines , Hazrat Muhjiddin-i Arabi says,
Come and see Muhjiddin-i Arabi now
His sigh and cry increased day by day
If you see the great God clearly
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
The interpretation of the Nutku Sharif was expressed before. God knows the tr
uth.
It is seen that Hodja Hafiz Mehmet Effendi explains his spiritual views about t
he zhikr in Khalwatiyya Order under the light of verses, hadiths, the Nutk-i Sha
rif of Hazrat Muhjiddin-i Arabi , the words of saints ( ahlullah ) and the word
s which are transmitted from the teachings of his master, Hodja Mustafa Effendi
( k.s. ) . However we would like to look back on the whole Nutk-i Sharif of Haz
rat Muhjiddin-i Arabi which was given above seperately in each stage and whic
h expresses the seven stages beautifully and clearly .
First take initiation from a Murshid
Then save yourself from Ammara ( Carnal soul )
Go on, recite Tawhid ( La ilaha illallah )
Then arrives enlightenment /God's inspiration reaches your heart
In the second stage God's name is recited
Sins are replaced by good deeds
The attributes of God are perceived in this stage
Then arrives enlightenment/God's inspiration reaches your heart
In the third stage he recites ` Huvallah'
He warbles continuously like a poor nightingale
Find God inside your own body
Then arrives enlightenment /God's inspiration reaches your heart

Attain the fourth stage


Find the mystery of ` Anal Haqq ' in your heart
Die in this stage / an instant before you die
Then arrives enlightenment /God's inspiration reaches your heart
The fifth stage is the station of life
Farz and Sunnah unite there
There you see thousand reasons
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
Come and see the state of the sixth stage
Learn the secret of saints
Dive into the lake of life.
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
The seventh is `Qahhar ' , Wahid ul-Qahhar (the All-Vanquishing)
The mysteries are unveiled, there is no more others
The beloved manifested himself in Me
Then arrives enlightenment / God's inspiration reaches your heart
Hodja Hafiz Mehmet Effendi said the number of stages ( Asmas ) which were give
n to the disciple with regard to his progress/ability were increased to seven b
ecause of the will of Hazrat Pir. Besides, he said there were lots of reasons it
s becoming seven and he went on his teaching as follows,
The number of Asmas ( stages of purification) were increased to seven because `
Fatiha', ` The opening'( the first chapter of Qur'an ), consists of seven verse
s with `Besmele'( In the name of God) and seven indicates and expresses lots of
beauties in spritual world. Another reason is there are two ears, two eyes, two
nostrils and a mouth , in total there are seven holes in the face of Man. It
is also said that there are seven main colours. It is known that there are ` Sub
stitutes ' (abdal) known as ` Sevens ' in the universe. They are also called `Ab
dal-i Ilahi' . Both the sky and the earth consists of seven layers . Hazrat Mawl
ana's opening seven holes to reed is the result of this as well.
Hazrat Mawlana wants to express himself through the nay with seven holes. Becau
se the sound of nay more closely approximates the sound of the human voice than
any other instrument. It is only a reed but it is emptied and seven finger holes
are added to it. Through this example Hazrat Mawlana wants to express saints
and says,
` Like Nay (reed flute), the soul of the disciple is emptied of ego. He attains
purity, he annihilates Nafs and he becomes a servant whom God is pleased with .
For this reason likewise the one who blows from flute is flutist, God speaks th
rough the Perfect Man who is emptied like flute.
` Nay tells the secret of the flutist. Perfect Man tells the secret of God whi
ch is hidden in Man.'
Let's put an end to a subject with the words of Hazrat Mawlana, `Whoever wants
to talk to God, should talk to saints.'
Under the light of information we gained, we can shortly say ; Zhikr in Khalwat
iyya Order is called ` Darb-i Asma ' or ` Darb-i Zhikr ' ( Persian word "Darb"
means "Strike" ). During the circle's gathering for zhikr, under the guidance o
f Sufi Master turning ( dawran ) is occurred either standing or half sitting
up position . In other words it is called ` Sama of Khalwatiyya'.

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